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Carlos Boozer's Jazz Draft Admission Takes Ironic Turn After Brutal Injury News
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- Carlos Boozer's Jazz Draft Admission Takes Ironic Turn After Brutal Injury News
(Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal)
Carlos Boozer wanted the Utah Jazz to draft his son. He also understood why they didn't.
Four games into the season, the very depth he cited as justification has taken a brutal hit.
The Jazz selected Darryn Peterson with the No. 2 pick in June, one spot before Memphis took Cameron Boozer. Utah already had Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Kyle Filipowski in the frontcourt, with Jusuf Nurkic providing another option at center. Adding a potential franchise guard alongside Keyonte George made sense.
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Even Cameron's father agreed with the fit.
"I think Darryn's a great fit for the Jazz," Carlos Boozer told The Salt Lake Tribune, despite admitting he'd hoped to see his son in Utah.
Then Monday happened ...
Markkanen and Jackson both exited Utah's 110-105 loss to Boozer's Grizzlies. Jackson tore the MCL in his right knee and will be re-evaluated in six weeks. Markkanen is day-to-day with a sprained right wrist, while Nurkic was already sidelined by a foot injury.
The same frontcourt depth that influenced Boozer's assessment suddenly looks a whole lot thinner.
That doesn't rewrite June's draft board. Utah couldn't have predicted these injuries, and Peterson's long-term value shouldn't hinge on four games. But the circumstances could change how quickly he's asked to grow.
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Peterson finished Monday with 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists. His 5-for-18 shooting wasn't pretty — but there's another number worth noting: zero turnovers in nearly 26 minutes, despite a season-high 18 field-goal attempts.
That's the kind of detail that gets lost when a rookie's night is judged by his shooting percentage alone.
With Jackson sidelined and Markkanen's availability uncertain, George figures to shoulder even more of the creation burden. Peterson and Ace Bailey could see additional chances, too. The issue for Will Hardy is making those chances worthwhile.
More shots won't automatically replace the production Utah lost. Without two established scoring threats drawing attention, defenders can crowd Peterson's driving lanes and make his decisions tougher. Hardy has to keep the offense functioning while letting the rookie learn through possessions that actually help him develop.
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And Boozer's advice remains relevant.
"Can he affect the game when he doesn't have the ball in his hands?" he asked.
Peterson's seven rebounds and contributions beyond scoring offer some encouragement, even on a poor shooting night. There's still plenty to prove defensively, and the opportunities ahead could expose weaknesses as easily as they reveal strengths.
Utah didn't draft Peterson expecting him to carry the franchise immediately. With Markkanen, Jackson and George in place, the Jazz had a chance to ease him into a bigger role over time.
Four games later, that luxury is disappearing ... and Peterson might have to show what he's capable of considerably sooner than anyone anticipated.
