The Jazz solidified their decision to draft Darryn Peterson with the No. 2 overall pick on Tuesday after traveling to Canton, Ohio to visit the former Kansas guard and his family on Saturday, writes Sarah Todd of The Deseret News.
“We were comfortable with him in the combine, and we’d been in great communication with his group and talking about everything. We just wanted to be a little extra sure,” president of basketball operations Austin Ainge explained on Tuesday. “Let’s just go out and see him and see where he’s from, get to know him even better and just make sure that if we ended up with him on draft night, that we have the best plan from day one.”
According to Todd, Jazz officials spoke to Peterson about the offense that head coach Will Hardy plans to run and how the 6’6″ guard would fit into it. They also told him about a loyal Utah fanbase that has continued to sell out home games even during the club’s rebuilding years. Ainge said everyone involved left that meeting “very excited,” and Peterson agreed.
“It meant a lot to me for them to come to my hometown and want to meet with me,” the No. 2 pick said. “I was super excited when my agent told me that’s what they wanted to do, and it was a great conversation. We talked about the new stuff that (they) have planned and in store, and I can’t wait to be a part of it.”
While health problems plagued Peterson during his time at Kansas, where he battled hamstring and cramping issues, he said on Monday that he has “never felt better” and Ainge expressed on Tuesday that the Jazz are “very comfortable” with Peterson’s medicals, per Jason Batacao of The Salt Lake Tribune.
“He’s been working out twice a day every day,” Ainge said. “He feels great.”
We have more from around the Northwest:
- Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly said that the front office has presented Anthony Edwards with some trade possibilities that the star guard has discouraged because he was concerned about what the team would have to give up to get them done, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. Perhaps relatedly, Krawczynski reports that one reason the Wolves didn’t end up being seriously in the mix for Giannis Antetokounmpo is that they resisted the Bucks‘ demand that their offer include Jaden McDaniels.
- Within the same story, Krawczynski notes that Connelly said the Timberwolves explored the possibility of trading back into the first round after giving up the No. 28 pick earlier in the week, since some players they liked fell further than expected. Team sources tell The Athletic that one of those players was Alabama’s Labaron Philon Jr., who ended up going to Philadelphia at No. 22.
- Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch is disappointed that Micah Nori‘s first head coaching opportunity after a long career as an assistant is being “overshadowed” by the unusual contract he signed with the Trail Blazers. Nori’s deal reportedly includes just one guaranteed season, with team options for the next two years. “I know this: There’s 30 of these jobs,” Finch said, per Jason Quick of The Athletic. “They’re hard to get. They’re incredibly rewarding in a lot of different ways. I know he wasn’t focused on certainly money, but he was first focused on opportunity. That’s what we preach to all of our guys here. You should chase opportunity, not money. Then, I also know that you’ve got to bet on yourself in this world. Especially when you’re an outsider. … We consider ourselves a little bit of outsiders. We weren’t raised in the game. We didn’t play at Carolina or Duke, so sometimes your path is just different and you’ve got to take chances along the way.” Finch added that he’s “super excited” for Nori, who was the Timberwolves’ lead assistant for the past five years.
- Although he was named late in the process as a potential candidate, Knicks assistant Chris Jent didn’t end up being considered a finalist for the Trail Blazers‘ coaching job, according to Bill Oram of The Oregonian (subscription required). Oram also reports within the same story that Portland remains open to trading into the second round of the draft.
