After years of intentional rebuilding, the Jazz pivot toward contention as rookie sensation Darryn Peterson brings a selfless mindset and defensive grit to Utah’s rising young core.
The years of hoping for lottery luck are over in Utah.
After drafting Darryn Peterson with the second pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, the Jazz are ready to compete following a four-year rebuild.
We already knew Peterson could play. Honestly, we've known Peterson could play since his high school days. But it's been gratifying to watch the Kansas product flourish in summer league thus far.
But as the competition continues through Salt Lake City into Las Vegas, Jazz fans are getting more of a glimpse into Peterson's character.
He's talked about what "greatness" means to him, his desire to end Cam Boozer's hopes of proving Utah made a mistake in selecting Peterson over him and now ... well, he's talking about Ed Reed.
Peterson, a Cincinnati Bengals fan, wasn't aware of the Pro Football Hall of Fame safety until head coach Will Hardy called him a "Raven." The Baltimore NFL team's mascot is used as defensive "jargon," says ESPN's Tim MacMahon, "to emphasize utilizing wingspan with arms extended wide."
Yet once the conversation shifted away from professional football and back to the Jazz, Peterson made an eye-catching statement that highlights his selfless demeanor.
Even with the spotlight on him, Peterson is staying humble.
"What excites me the most is being able to be a part of the young core," Peterson said. "It's just a great basketball organization. I think everyone would agree with me, and we've kind of talked about it: It's time to win. So, to be a part of that is like a dream come true for me."
Time to win it is.
The Jazz won 37 games in their first season without Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert ... but their win total hasn't come close to that since.
2023-24 saw the number shrink to 31.
It dropped again to 17 in 2024-25.
In what likely will be the final year of the rebuild, Utah won just 21 games in 2025-26.
But now Peterson is in town. And as excited as he is, the Jazz faithful may have him beat.
This fanbase has undergone a lot of emotions since the 2020s began.
They've watched homegrown stars shine ... and then leave.
They've watched countless empty-calorie buckets ... knowing that there was really no way Utah was going to come out on top.
Those days are over. They now get to watch Peterson — and the rest of the Jazz young core — put up a real fight in the Western Conference.
The years of expecting to win are here in Utah.
