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DENVER (AP) — The usually stoic Darryn Peterson couldn’t mask his feelings after being taken by Utah with the No. 2 overall pick in the NBA draft on Tuesday night.
His grandfather was crying. His mom was crying. So the Kansas standout got a little emotional, too.
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“It was surreal,” Peterson said, “to hear my name.”
Now, the real work begins as Peterson tries to help the Jazz turn the corner inside a deep and competitive Northwest Division. Utah finished 42 games behind Oklahoma City last season — and the Thunder only got bigger (taking Michigan 7-foot-3 center Aday Mara) and acquired more shooting (picking up Iowa guard Bennett Stirtz).
Peterson becomes a complement to emerging Jazz star Keyonte George.
“He’s a really talented player and really hard worker,” Jazz president of basketball operations Austin Ainge said of Peterson on the team’s website. “He’s a culture fit, a talent fit and a game fit with our organization.”
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Denver, another team trying to keep up with the Thunder, took UConn center Tarris Reed Jr. at No. 26 but is in the process of sending his draft rights to the San Antonio Spurs as part of a deal to acquire more draft assets.
Difficult decisions loom for the Nuggets heading into the summer. Everyone not named Nikola Jokic may be up for trade discussions. The biggest dilemma is how to keep Aaron Gordon healthy and on the court after another injury-riddled season. The biggest decision is what to do about Peyton Watson, the talented, high-flying guard/forward who’s going to command a lucrative contract to stay in town.
Meanwhile, Jokic is in line to sign a supermax extension this summer.
Portland fortified its team Tuesday, not through a first-round pick — the Blazers didn’t have one — but by hiring Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori as its head coach. He takes over for Tiago Splitter, who left for Chicago. Splitter was the fill-in coach for Chauncey Billups following Billups’ arrest in an alleged gambling scheme.
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The Blazers feature a talented core of young players in Deni Avdija, Shaedon Sharpe and Toumani Camara. Damian Lillard will…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/jazz-darryn-peterson-no-2-043728945.html
Author : PAT GRAHAM
Publish date : 2026-06-24 04:37:00
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