Jazz
It didn’t take long for Darryn Peterson to give Jazz fans something to cheer about.
The No. 2 overall pick opened his Summer League debut by blowing past a defender for an easy layup, then followed it moments later with a chase-down block that brought the crowd to its feet.
By the end of the afternoon, Peterson had poured in 28 points on 11-of-21 shooting, including 4-of-7 from three-point range, in Utah’s victory over Atlanta.
“It was just a read,” Peterson said of his first basket, via Sarah Todd of the Deseret News. “I seen a bigger guy come out on me, so I tried to just attack him.”
The performance came after an offseason full of anticipation for the 19-year-old guard, who starred at Huntington Prep after spending part of his high school career at CVCA in Cuyahoga Falls. Peterson then spent one season at Kansas.
He admitted another source of motivation came from seeing Hawks big man Zuby Ejiofor on the opposing side. Ejiofor’s St. John’s team eliminated Peterson and Kansas from the NCAA Tournament in March.
“That was my first game since the last game of March,” Peterson said. “That was also on my mind… so I was happy to get the win.”
Kings
Kings rookie Darius Acuff Jr. didn’t have his best shooting night, but he still found a way to make winning plays.
The No. 7 overall pick scored a game-high 25 points despite shooting just 9-of-29 from the field and capped the victory by setting up Nique Clifford‘s game-winning three-pointer.
“It was a rough start,” Acuff said, via The Athletic. “I was getting rushed a little bit. Something I don’t normally do, but I’m just glad we got the win, and I stayed poised down the stretch.”
Acuff, who starred at Arkansas last season, entered the draft regarded as one of the nation’s top scoring guards.
Raptors
The Raptors have officially signed second-round pick Jaden Bradley to a two-way contract.
Toronto selected the former Arizona guard with the 50th overall pick after a standout senior season in which he earned Big 12 Player of the Year honors while averaging 13.3 points and 4.4 assists.
Bradley also collected All-Defensive Team honors and helped establish himself as one of the most complete guards in college basketball before making the jump to the NBA.
The agreement fills another of Toronto’s two-way spots as the Raptors continue putting the finishing touches on their roster for next season.
MORE HOOPS | NBA free agents by position
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