No pressure, rookie, but Mo Bamba has seen a lot of the NBA, and he sees stardom in you.
Who would have thought that it would be Mo Bamba who sets the Utah Jazz universe ablaze at the team's media day? Me? I practically forgot that Bamba was back on the team, having already played for the Jazz twice throughout his chaotic career before the team signed him back on over the offseason to bolster the Walker Kessler-less frontcourt in Utah.
He took to the podium and received a fascinating question. He was asked who Darryn Peterson, Utah's rookie guard and the number-two overall pick from the most recent NBA Draft, reminds him the most.
Bamba was a good subject for such a question. He's been around the NBA, appearing for 7 different teams during his 8-year career. He didn't hesitate to draw comparisons to a player that he became acquainted with while in Los Angeles with the Clippers.
"This is going to sound crazy, but I see a lot of Kawhi [Leonard] in him," Bamba said to the media. "Just like, quiet, bucket-getter, mid-range... Obviously two very different positions, but I see a lot of Kawhi. ... I was talking to [Jusuf Nurkic] a couple of weeks ago, and he sees a lot of Dame [Lillard], and I think that one is a little more comparable, because position-wise, scoring-wise, pull-up game, offensive talent-wise, and capability-wise."
Two players who have already stamped their names in the NBA history books and stand as some of the best players in the league as a whole, even as they approach the twilight of their careers. If Peterson can put together a career even somewhat similar to either of those two names, he'd be the exact player capable of leading Utah to a championship.
"I hate that Darryn is going to see this," he laughed.
It's a lofty comparison, and one that Bamba himself acknowledged to be a bit premature as Peterson still has yet to step onto an NBA court and play real minutes as a pro.
"Obviously, Darryn has a lot to prove and a lot more career ahead of him to get to the point where he can truly be mentioned with these two names, but just maturity is one thing that was the most eye-opening."
Darryn Peterson's arrival in Utah has been celebrated with plenty of fan-fare in this very, very early stage of his career. We saw what he's capable of when he took the court in the Salt Lake City Summer League, dropping jaws as he appeared possessed with the spirit of basketball legends, but until he's put together a career of his own among true NBA competition, we'll all just have to watch and wait.
But if his teammates' praise is well-founded, Jazz fans could be in for a treat.
