NBA Notes: Jazz, Darryn Peterson, Grizzlies, Cameron Boozer, Thunder

October 30, 2026

Jazz

Darryn Peterson is shooting below 35 percent through his first five NBA games. The message from his Jazz teammates and coaches? Keep going. In fact, they’d like the No. 2 overall pick to be a little more aggressive, as Jared Koch of Jazz on SI writes.

Utah lost Jaren Jackson Jr. and Lauri Markkanen in the same game against Memphis. Jackson will miss at least six weeks with a torn MCL. Markkanen is day-to-day with a sprained wrist. Peterson, 19, said he didn’t have much time to think about what either injury meant that night.

“They both went down in a short span. But, I was in the middle of the game. So, my mindset was just still trying to win,” Peterson said.

Peterson is averaging 12.8 points on a little more than 12 shots a game. He’ll have chances to create for himself with two All-Stars out, though he expects some help there, too. “We’ve got other great guys that I feel like I know are going to step up now,” he said.

Grizzlies

Cameron Boozer had 18 points and 12 rebounds in Thursday’s win at Portland. He also had 12 assists, which is where a pretty good night for a rookie power forward became a little slice of NBA history.

At 19 years and 103 days, Boozer passed LeBron James as the youngest frontcourt player to record a triple-double, as Ryan Kaminski of Grizzlies on SI details. Only Josh Giddey did it at a younger age at any position. He had Boozer beat by 19 days.

Those assists offer a pretty good idea of how Memphis uses Boozer. He can set the screen on a pick-and-roll or come around it with the ball himself. Five games into his career, he’s already had a triple-double and has yet to experience an NBA loss. The last guy who could say that was Oscar Robertson, per Opta Stats.

Thunder

Jared McCain opened the season with a fairly straightforward assignment. Come off the bench, knock down threes and give the Thunder some of the shooting they lost when Isaiah Joe left. Two starts later, the job looks a little different.

With Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace sidelined, Oklahoma City could use someone besides Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who can get his own shot, as Ivan White of Thunder on SI writes. For McCain, that means attacking a defender who runs him off the line.

There’s a pull-up jumper available there, and sometimes a path all the way to the basket. So, yes, it’s a new world for McCain.