The pick is in.

With the second pick in the 2026 NBA draft, the Utah Jazz select Darren Peterson out of Kansas.

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jobs terms and conditions apply i'm west goldberg joined now by leaf thulein over at locked on jazz

leaf tell me a little bit more about darren peterson why should jazz fans be excited about him

to me this is the best player in the draft class,

and they got him at number two, so I'm ecstatic. He is the best shooter in the draft class. I think

he scores the most easily of anyone, shot nearly 40% from three while being hampered by a hamstring.

And usually that means like, oh, they know he can't drive. And he still was able to shoot 40%

from three while shooting 14 threes per 100 possessions,

scored 20 a game at Kansas was the number one recruit out of the high school.

And each time he matched up with AJ DeBanza, he has emerged victorious and had multiple narratives kind of plague him this season of, oh, it's cramping, it's cramping.

But when he's on the basketball court, no one scores more easily, and he's got the size to play multiple positions in the back court. And I think he's the best defender of the top three picks as well. So you mentioned some of the stuff, the narrative stuff, you know, he wasn't available for some of these games, late scratch or some of these. What is the confidence level right now in Utah that that stuff is behind him and that he'll be a reliable player for you guys at number two? If the medical staffs cleared him, I've got no doubts about the basketball. So if he's cleared and he's going number two over very quality players such as Caleb Wilson and such as Camboozer, then I'm, I'm ecstatic. I'm over the moon about it. I've been nervous all day, excited for the jazz to take Darren Peterson. So I'm confident he'll be ready to go. I'll be at the summer league and I can't wait for him to ball out. Several losing seasons in a row for the Utah Jazz. They seem to be taking a step out of that.

Obviously, they have the big Jaron Jackson Jr. trade at the deadline. They already have

Lowry Markinen under contract. Keante George was one of the rising stars of last season.

How do you see Darren Peterson fitting alongside some of these guys?

Well, the first thing is I think this is the guy that you're building your franchise around.

So they fit around him. Immediately, I think he fits in nicely because he fits into an offense that is very spread out, and both in terms of it's an egalitarian offense where Lowry Markinen, it has been the focal point. But Jaron Jackson figures to score well. Walker Kessler is healthy again. Kianti George just had a great season. So it's spread out. And also they have a spread out on the basketball court offense in the sense that they set a lot of pin down screens. And he's the best shooter in the class. So he can come off a screen off the ball and be a potent threat rather than need the ball in his hands at all times. And so I think he can do that. Distribute, catch the ball and shoot the ball. He can catch the ball and drive and distribute. So I'm very confident that he'll have a really good rookie season, but realistically, I'm not concerned about fit for either of them. I think they can merge the best player in the class. But had they taken AJ to Bonsa, I think there's some fit concerns, but you build around the team. Sorry, you build the team around him.

And so I think the jazz are well set up for not only the immediate future, but down

two, three years when the window to compete and actually contend for championships

...