Jazz's Darryn Peterson Has a Rookie of the Year Problem That’s Getting Bigger

Darryn Peterson might have picked the wrong year to be a rookie.

The Utah Jazz guard hasn't even played his first regular-season game, and the competition for Rookie of the Year is already doing him absolutely no favors.

The No. 2 overall pick has plenty of reasons to feel good about his preseason … unfortunately, so does just about everyone else drafted around him.

Peterson's 23-point performance against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday was exactly the kind of response Utah wanted after his three-point preseason debut.

He shot 10-of-18 from the field, added three rebounds and three assists, and gave the Jazz a reminder of why they spent the second overall pick on him.

That should've been enough to grab some attention for a few days. Instead, the rest of the rookie class has been busy making its own case.

Cameron Boozer, the Memphis Grizzlies' No. 3 selection, has already shown he can contribute without dominating the ball. The former Duke star opened with 11 points, five rebounds and four assists before adding 16 points and six rebounds against Orlando.

His passing and rebounding could make him a difficult player to keep pace with in a race that rewards production.

Chicago's Caleb Wilson has taken a louder approach.

The fourth overall pick followed a 15-point debut with 21 points against Memphis on Friday, including five 3-pointers and 20 points after halftime — not exactly a bad response to a quiet first half.

AJ Dybantsa, the only player drafted ahead of Peterson, has been productive without putting together a spectacular performance. Washington's new forward has scored in double figures in both preseason appearances, including 14 points, seven rebounds and two assists against Detroit.

Those three were always going to be part of the conversation. The real headache for Peterson might be everyone else trying to join them.

Sacramento Kings guard Darius Acuff Jr., selected seventh overall, dropped 25 points, eight assists and four rebounds against Golden State on Saturday. He shot 8-of-15 from the field and 4-of-6 from three, a sharp improvement from an uneven preseason debut.

The Warriors had a rookie making just as much noise on the other side.

Yaxel Lendeborg, the 11th overall pick, finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in Golden State's 111-106 victory on Saturday. He needed just 24 minutes and 14 field-goal attempts to get there, adding to an earlier 17-point performance against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Well … so much for this being a four-man race.

And Peterson has another challenge that won't show up in any of those opposing box scores.

His 23-point outing came with Lauri Markkanen sidelined and Keyonte George and Jaren Jackson Jr. playing monitored minutes. Peterson attempted 18 shots against Denver, but getting that kind of offensive freedom every night could be difficult once Utah has its full rotation available.

Markkanen, George and Jackson need touches of their own. Head coach Will Hardy also has to balance Peterson's development with the rest of a roster that's still figuring out how its pieces fit together.

Acuff could have more opportunities to run Sacramento's offense. Lendeborg might find a productive role without needing many plays drawn up for him. Boozer can collect rebounds and assists on nights when his shot isn't falling.

Peterson, meanwhile, could play well and still find himself chasing the box-score totals of rookies with different responsibilities.

Of course, this is October. A few preseason exhibitions aren't going to decide an award handed out months from now, and some of these early standouts will have a much tougher time producing once rotations tighten.

But Peterson has already done his part to make the conversation interesting.

His performance against Denver was a glimpse of the scoring ability that made him one of the draft's biggest prizes — and there's no reason to believe he won't have opportunities to build on it.

Winning Rookie of the Year, though, might require more than living up to his draft position.

The Jazz might have found themselves a future star … unfortunately for Peterson, about half the lottery seems to be thinking the same thing.