It's not the narrative everyone will push on you, but Darryn Peterson held up very well against the number-one pick.
For the first time since being selected second overall by the Utah Jazz, Darryn Peterson looked mortal against AJ Dybantsa.
In what was the most highly-anticipated Summer League game I can ever recall, the number-one and number-two picks squared off in their first bout of Las Vegas Summer League action, and it was appointment viewing for NBA fans.
Two players who fought tooth and nail to be the first overall pick in the draft, two players who had struggled to secure the number-one prospect designation in their high school recruiting class, and two players desperate to prove to the world that the designation of "number-one" is theirs and theirs alone.
They understood the stakes in the days leading up to this offseason matchup; though the final score was irrelevant, the race for Rookie of the Year began on the court of the Thomas and Mack Center.
And on the surface, AJ Dybantsa seemed to be the clear winner when the clock hit triple-zeroes.
Dybantsa outscored Peterson. Dybantsa lit up social media with more content for the highlight reel than Peterson. Dybantsa led his team to the win over Peterson and the Utah Jazz. 3-0, this round goes to AJ, right?
This won't be a popular opinion, but I don't think it's quite that simple.
Let's talk about efficiency. Specifically, shots taken compared to shots made. AJ Dybantsa was far from efficient in his first Summer League game, hitting just 7-for-18 (38% FG) on the day. He scored 27 points to Peterson's 24 and led all scorers for the game. Peterson scored on 6-of-18 shooting, a comparable, though slightly worse, efficiency of 33%.
Then you have to take circumstances into play. Washington's defense played a full-court press and blitzed Peterson on every screen play, constantly double-teaming the Jazz guard and forcing him to make tough decisions. The Wizards played a much more physical style of defense. I'd call it a bit too physical -- defending with their hands more than their feet -- but I'm not officiating the games.
The Jazz employed a different scheme for Dybantsa: one-on-one coverage. Dybantsa thrives when isolated, and the Jazz made no effort to take him out of his comfort zone, allowing for more freedom to put the ball on the floor. If the Jazz sent extra help, Dybantsa had the benefit of Tre Johnson and Will Reily, two real NBA talents who combined for 44 points.
Utah's entire starting lineup outside of Peterson combined for 37 points.
With Cody Williams as the only NBA-level support to relieve Peterson's pressure, the Jazz had very few options to force the Wizards to play honestly on the defensive end. They were free to double Peterson with little consequence.
Peterson tried to do too much; he wanted to make a statement in front of a national audience. Dybantsa had the better support system. Yet both players but up incredibly similar numbers in their head-to-head matchup.
Both players have room to grow -- that was made clear when the pair combined for 23 missed shots in their floor time -- but my point is simple. Darryn Peterson fared great when up against AJ Dybantsa, and though he looked the part of a number-one overall pick on Thursday, Dybantsa isn't quite head and shoulders above Peterson.
