Can you believe it? After what has been the most successful lottery and draft in Utah Jazz history, Jazz fans will get to watch prized prospect Darryn Peterson take the floor for the first time.
Peterson was the talk of draft night, with questions about whether he would actually be the #1 pick. After a month of speculation, the Washington Wizards ultimately went with AJ Dybantsa. Utah came away with the player they wanted all along, and now we get to see just how good Peterson is going to be. Yes, you have to take the summer league with a grain of salt. If a player plays great, you can’t take too much from it. If a player plays badly, it’s time to be concerned. But would argue it’s time to ignore that because it’s hard to exaggerate how good Peterson can be, and it’s just as hard to see him not playing well in his first summer league. This is a new era of Jazz basketball, and this first summer league with Peterson is a prologue to what should be the most successful chapter in Jazz basketball history.
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The best part of all of this is I hardly feel any pressure or anxiety, I’m just excited to watch this new prospect be unleashed. There have been prospects in Jazz history whose futures you didn’t quite know. With Peterson, the question is just how good he’s going to be. Tomorrow we find out, and I personally can’t wait.
How to watch the Salt Lake City Summer League?
Who: Utah Jazz vs Atlanta Hawks
When: Saturday, July 4, 2026 | 3:00 MT
Where: Jon M. Huntsman Center, Salt Lake City, UT
How to watch: Prime Video, ESPNU, League Pass, KJZZ, Jazz+
Players to watch
Darryn Peterson
This goes without saying. The most important thing in this game is to see how healthy Peterson looks. Does he have his burst back? How does the playmaking work? How well does he score the ball? Basically, all eyes will be on Darryn Peterson and how he looks in his debut. From the moment the Jazz run onto the floor and warm up to the time the game starts, you can bet that his every move will be the prime attraction.
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Ace Bailey
Just like last season, Bailey will be another player to watch in this summer league. He showed fantastic signs this season, and this summer league is an opportunity to show his improvement. Bailey scored and rebounded last summer league without a single play run for him. Now that he understands the offense much better, he should have a nice game.
The other interesting element will be how he plays with Peterson. What does the chemistry look like? They’ve only been together for a short amount of time, but we’ll see if they are playing well together starting in Game 1.
SALT LAKE CITY, UT – JULY 5 : Ace Bailey #19 of the Utah Jazz tucks in his jersey against the Philadelphia 76ers during the second half of the NBA Summer League game at the Jon M. Huntsman Center on July 5, 2025 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images) | Getty Images
