Jazz’s Darryn Peterson asks out twice, knee discomfort clouds career-high night

Darryn Peterson scored a career-high 28 points against the Rockets on Friday. The Jazz also came away with a question about their rookie guard’s knee.

Peterson requested substitutions twice in the final nine minutes of Utah’s 125-118 loss. According to KSL Sports’ Ben Anderson, his knee was “bothering him a bit” when he asked out in the final minute, around the same time Mo Bamba fouled out.

The Jazz did not provide a postgame update on Peterson’s status, as Jared Koch of Jazz on SI reported.

That leaves his availability for the next game against the Spurs worth watching. The extent of the discomfort remains unclear.

Peterson has carried a substantial workload early in his NBA career, averaging 31.2 minutes across all 13 games. He and Ace Bailey are the only Jazz players who have already logged more than 400 minutes this season.

The schedule is a considerable adjustment from college. Peterson appeared in 24 games at Kansas last season, averaging about 29 minutes. He has already played more than half that many games in his first few weeks with Utah.

His health drew attention during the draft process after injuries and severe cramping cost him 11 college games. But Friday’s knee discomfort offers little basis for determining whether he faces another extended absence.

For the Jazz, the immediate concern is getting a clearer picture of how he feels after the game.

Utah has lost 11 straight and is 1-12 despite Peterson’s encouraging scoring performance against Houston. His development gives the Jazz something to build around during a difficult start.

Keeping him available would certainly help. The next injury report should offer a better indication of whether Friday’s discomfort will interrupt that progress.