The NBA’s annual summer showcase has come to an end.
The Las Vegas Summer League wrapped up on Sunday night with the Golden State Warriors winning the Summer League championship — a distinction that doesn’t matter and most people will not remember.
But, the conclusion of the NBA’s summer contests means that the first impressions of the incoming rookies have been set and we have a little more information on the second- and third-year players that were on the summer rosters. So how did the Utah Jazz players fare?
Darryn Peterson
Just about everyone who watched Darryn Peterson play in Salt Lake City Summer League and then also in Las Vegas said some combination of the same things. From executives and coaches to reporters, scouts and fans, the sentiment was clear — Peterson looks like a star in the making.
He’s not perfect by any means — yet. He still needs to work on his handle and there are some people who would like to see Peterson work a little better deep in the paint, but most of the flaws in Peterson’s game are seen as fine-tuning issues rather than red flags.
There were a number of times on the court over the last three weeks that Peterson looked like he was the most mature and advanced player out there. As he was playing against the Washington Wizards, the Jazz’s first game in Las Vegas, a scout for a Western Conference team said, “They should shut him down after this. It’s clear he’s better than this.”
The Jazz have been excited about the prospect of adding Peterson to their roster since before they knew the lottery results. His mix of shot-making ability, defensive instincts, and skill at manipulating a game to fit how he wants to play has made him one of the top prospects since he was too young to legally drive a car.
Now, with Peterson 19 and officially on an NBA roster, the Jazz are itching for the 2026-27 season to get underway. The idea of unlocking all of Peterson’s talent and seeing what he’s capable of in an NBA system with NBA spacing and surrounded by NBA-level talent, is one that everyone involved can hardly wait for.
Ace Bailey
When the Jazz announced that Ace Bailey would be on the 2026 Summer League squad, there was excitement because it was the perfect opportunity for him to show how much he learned during his rookie season, while also showing off how much he’s beefed up in the offseason.
Unfortunately, all of the excitement surrounding Bailey was dampened when he had to leave the Jazz’s first game in Salt Lake City due to back spasms. Then, when he finally returned in the Jazz’s second game in Las Vegas, he played just eight minutes in the first half before being shut down by the medical team, again due to back spasms.
There’s no reason, right now, to believe that Bailey won’t be ready for the 2026-27 season or that this is going to be an issue going forward. Rest, treatment and a proper ramp up to the season should be what Bailey needs to be 100%.
But the back issue for the youngster, who will turn 20 next month, is definitely something that concerned the Jazz and they’ll be monitoring him very closely through the summer to make sure that this is just a blip, rather than a problem.
Cody Williams
Jazz assistant Steve Wojciechowski, who was head coach for the Summer League team, noted that the summer games for Peterson would be an introductory course for how the Jazz do things. The rookie would be learning terminology, general schemes and sets.
For more experienced players like Cody Williams, Wojciechowski said it was more about, “taking what they know and trying to raise it a level.”
There were some athletic flashes, some defensive highlights and in certain stretches Williams shot the ball better than expected from 3-point range (though he also shot 50% from the free-throw line in Las Vegas). But there were also whole games that Williams seemed to disappear despite the fact that he was on the court.
It’s worth noting that third-year players Kyle Filipowski and Isaiah Collier did not play in Summer League. While there are a ton of factors that go into making those decisions, Summer League roster spots, after a rookie season, are usually reserved for players that a team is still unsure about.
Many were hoping that Williams would look miles ahead of some of the Summer League competition, but instead saw him blending in and fading to the background. It’s important not to put too much stock into what is seen during Summer League, both good and bad. But there are times when the general Summer League observations do tell the correct story, and there are some that are wondering if that’s the case with Williams.