Cameron Boozer, the Memphis Grizzlies‘ rookie power forward drafted No. 3 last month, began his NBA career with a bang Saturday. So did Darryn Peterson, the guard drafted second by the Utah Jazz.
On the opening possession of the Salt Lake City summer league, Boozer caught the ball in the paint on a pick-and-roll and made a nifty pass to teammate Taylor Hendricks, who dished it right back. Boozer punctuated the play by throwing down a two-hand dunk over Oklahoma City‘s 7-foot-3 lottery pick Aday Mara.
Peterson also scored on his first possession of NBA action. He opened the Jazz’s game against the Atlanta Hawks by hunting a matchup against second-year big man Asa Newell and blowing by him for a crafty layup.
Boozer and Peterson, who will face each other Monday, had impressive performances to lead their teams to victories in their summer debuts.
Peterson had 28 points on 11-of-21 shooting in 27 minutes in the Jazz’s 103-102 overtime win over the Hawks. Boozer finished with 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting, four rebounds and four assists in 24 minutes during a 111-74 blowout win over the Thunder.
“It felt comfortable,” Boozer said. “Obviously, it’s still an adjustment because going to a whole new team, whole new system, you got one week of practice before playing. But I felt good, especially with this group. They’re very easy to play with, just because everyone’s playing for each other, playing the right way. So I feel comfortable. Obviously, there’s a lot of learning to do still, but I feel good, for sure.”
Several of the scouts at the University of Utah’s Huntsman Center were especially impressed with Boozer’s passing. Jazz scout Carlos Boozer, Cameron’s father and a former All-Star, sat courtside and soaked in the scene while wearing a Grizzlies cap.
“Once they picked me, he was team Grizzly,” Cameron Boozer said jokingly.
The Jazz front office considered selecting Cameron Boozer, but they picked Peterson over him because they believed the former Kansas guard had the highest ceiling in the draft. Jazz fans share that optimism, showering Peterson with MVP chants when he went to the free throw line after an and-1 layup early in the second quarter.
“I’ve been training super hard and manifesting this game since my Kansas season ended,” Peterson said. “To get out there and finally put a jersey on and play again is great. Then on top of that, I’ve got ‘Jazz’ across my chest. It’s a huge honor and privilege.”
Peterson, playing much more point guard than he will while paired with Keyonte George in the backcourt during the regular season, criticized himself for committing eight turnovers.
“Today is a hard game to play in because of all the expectation and hype,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said. “I thought he did a great job playing within the group. He was aggressive and picked his spots well. He’s got a lot of work to do in a lot of areas to get better, but I know he’s glad to get this one out of the way.”
