Darryn Peterson scores 28 in Jazz Summer League debut, sends game into overtime vs. Hawks

The Utah Jazz got a late push they could build around in their NBA Summer League opener, as guard Darryn Peterson exploded for 28 points in his debut and helped force overtime against the Atlanta Hawks at the University of Utah’s Jon M. Huntsman Center. Utah eventually prevailed 103-102 in extra time, with Peterson hitting a pair of late 3s, including one during the Hawks’ push in the fourth quarter and another in the final stretch of the overtime period.

Peterson’s performance was notable not only for its output, but for how quickly his impact showed up. According to the game report, he recorded his first bucket, rebound, and block within Utah’s first 91 seconds, finishing the night in 27 minutes on 11-of-21 shooting. He also knocked down 4 of 7 shots from beyond the arc and added five rebounds and two blocks, a stat line that suggested he can contribute on both ends during limited Summer League minutes.

The backdrop to Peterson’s night was the question that has followed his path to the NBA: availability. Coming out of college, concerns were tied to his lone season at Kansas, specifically the circumstances around cramping and whether they would keep him sidelined. In the lead-up to the draft, the report says doctors determined his cramping issues in college were related to high doses of creatine, and Peterson later returned to the court after taking time away.

In Salt Lake City, Peterson’s shotmaking did the talking. The Jazz’s fourth-quarter push included the kind of spacing and urgency that makes late possessions easier to manage, and the report credited Peterson with giving Utah a lift through two separate late triples. Those makes did more than pad a scoring total. They changed the rhythm of the game late, pushing Atlanta into a situation where it had to chase and forcing overtime instead of seeing the moment close out in regulation.

Utah’s other frontcourt and wing pieces also flashed. Second-year forward Ace Bailey, whom the Jazz selected fifth overall in 2025, recorded 10 points and six rebounds in 20 minutes before leaving the game in the second half with right back spasms, per the report. While Summer League is often about evaluation rather than durability, the early exit was the one development that briefly shifted attention away from Peterson’s star turn.

For the Jazz, the immediate takeaway is that Peterson looked capable of translating his skills to the pace and length of NBA-style possessions, including finishing at the rim, playing with defensive energy, and knocking down perimeter shots under pressure. The broader takeaway is simpler, too: the availability concerns that defined his college-to-pro transition were not apparent in his debut, and his late-game output offered a convincing preview of what Utah might want from him as the summer schedule continues.

What to watch next is whether the level of impact holds across multiple games and matchups. One strong debut is rarely the full story in Summer League, and Utah will likely be assessing how Peterson manages his minutes, maintains defensive consistency, and sustains his outside shooting when opponents adjust to his tendencies. If he can keep combining clutch offense with two-way stretches, the Jazz will have another piece to build around this summer.

Across the league, Summer League performances tend to be judged both for flashes and for repeatability, and Peterson’s night offered both. He brought scoring and decision-making when Utah needed it most, which can accelerate confidence among coaches and teammates. Still, Utah will need to see more than one night of health and production before any long-term conclusions are warranted.