Former KU guard Darryn Peterson off-target in Utah’s summer league loss to Spurs
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- Darryn Peterson scored 15 points on 4-of-16 shooting in Jazz loss to Spurs.
- Peterson recorded four rebounds, four assists and four turnovers in 29 minutes.
- In three Vegas games Peterson averaged 20.7 points on 30.8% shooting.
Former Kansas Jayhawks men’s basketball guard Darryn Peterson of the Utah Jazz failed to score 20 or more points for the first time in five summer league appearances Wednesday in Las Vegas.
Playing his fifth game in 11 days, the 6-foot-6, 19-year-old Canton, Ohio native totaled 15 points on 4-of-16 shooting in the Jazz’s 94-82 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night at Cox Pavilion on UNLV’s campus.
Peterson, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, went 0-for-3 from 3. He had four rebounds, four assists and four turnovers while starting and playing 29 minutes. He had a minus-7 rating for the game.
Prior to Wednesday’s off-night, Peterson had been an explosive scorer for the Jazz. Playing in three of Utah’s four games in Las Vegas, Peterson scored 24 points in a loss to Washington and 23 in a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers to go with his 15 points in the most recent loss to San Antonio.
Peterson scored 28 points in a win over Atlanta and 25 in a win over Memphis in Utah’s summer league (which took place prior to the Vegas event). He’s been rested one game in Vegas after playing in two of three of the Jazz’s games in Salt Lake City.
In his two games in SLC, Peterson averaged 26.5 points on 52.8% shooting (43.8% from deep) with 7.0 assists per contest against 5.0 turnovers. In his three games in Vegas, Peterson has averaged 20.7 points a game on 30.8% shooting, 23.1% from 3-point range. He’s averaged 4.0 assists to 4.7 turnovers.
“Darryn is a guy that puts a lot of pressure on the defense,” Jazz summer league coach Steve Wojciechowski told ESPN.com after the loss to the Clippers and former Shawnee Mission Northwest standout Keaton Wagler, who matched Peterson’s 23 points. “Teams are going to come after Darryn. He’s going to be the first, second and third guy on the scout. Generally guys with that type of characteristic get to the foul line. He can do it in a bunch of different ways. Guys who can put the ball in the hole and get fouled like him are a real asset,” Wojciechowski added.
An unnamed Western Conference team scout certainly hasn’t been concerned about Peterson’s shooting in Vegas, telling ESPN.com: “Peterson has the most polished offensive perimeter package of any guard over the last 10 draft seasons. He and Anthony Edwards have a chance to set the NBA standard by which guards are judged.”
Of Peterson, ESPN’s Jay Bilas said on the “All the Smoke” podcast: “The last guy I could say that scored it as easily as Peterson was Kevin Durant.”
ESPN’s Seth Greenberg said: “He will be a generational player in the NBA, offensively, defensively, on the ball, off the ball. You put the ball in his hands and good things happen. The dude is special.”
Tim MacMahon of ESPN commented on Peterson’s shooting struggles of late: “He’s really more of a shooting guard who can make really good reads and really good passes … He didn’t shoot it well, but you could see how easy it is for him to create space in the half court for it. I wouldn’t worry about that one iota.”
Noted Michael Angelo Murillo of basketballnetwork.net: “For all the upside he brings to the Jazz, Peterson is still very much a work in progress. But the encouraging part for Utah is that he is embracing it and is willing to do what is needed to address his shortcomings as he strives to help the team achieve sustained success.”
Former Missouri Tiger guard Tamar Bates of the Jazz started and scored 16 points in 21 minutes. He hit 5 of 9 shots and went 1-of-2 from 3. The 23-year-old Bates also had two rebounds with no assists.
Council scores nine, Nowell 20
Former KU guard Melvin Council Jr. scored nine points on 4-of-9 shooting with five assists to one turnover while starting and playing 26 minutes in New Orleans’ 82-77 loss to Cleveland on Wednesday in Vegas. The 6-foot-4, 24-year-old Council contributed two rebounds and one steal and had a plus-5 rating.
Former K-State guard Markquis Nowell scored 20 points on 3-of-13 shooting (2-of-11 from 3) for the Pelicans. He was 6 of 7 from the line, totaling 12 points — in summer league, free-throw shooting rules give players an automatic point on the second of two free throws, provided the player hits the first.
The 5-foot-8, 26-year-old Nowell scored 15 points in the fourth quarter. He also had two steals and two assists in 24 minutes off the bench.
Former KU center Hunter Dickinson, who has been starting for the Pelicans’ summer team, was rested Wednesday. Dickinson has signed a 2-way contract with New Orleans for a second straight season. Nowell and Council are among the players vying for the team’s final two 2-way slots on the roster.
In another game, former KU guard Dajuan Harris played the last 40 seconds of Minnesota’s 114-98 victory over Indiana on Wednesday in Vegas. He’s not received more than two minutes of playing time in any game for the Timberwolves.
This story was originally published July 16, 2026 at 9:56 AM with the headline "Former KU guard Darryn Peterson off-target in Utah’s summer league loss to Spurs."
