Darryn Peterson is starting to look like the kind of lead guard Utah hoped it was getting when it took him second overall in the 2026 NBA Draft. With Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Keyonte George all sidelined, the Jazz have handed him the keys, and the rookie has responded with a career-high 28 points in last night’s win over Houston.
Darryn Peterson tonight vs Houston:28 PTS | 7 REB | 2 STL | 9/20 FG | 4 3s | 61 TS% pic.twitter.com/RwGLOeaIxr
That surge has naturally brought AJ Dybantsa back into the conversation, because he was the only player selected ahead of Peterson in that draft. The early weeks didn’t offer much clarity for either side.
Peterson had trouble finding his place at first, while Dybantsa missed a week before making his debut. But the Jazz guard has settled in fast, and the way he’s producing on the ball is starting to look a lot like what his backers expected from the jump.
Over Peterson’s last five games, he’s averaged more than 24 points while shooting 47.3% from the field. His usage rate over that stretch sits at 29.2, which is higher than every Wizard. Dybantsa, by contrast, has a 21.4 usage rate over his last five outings, a mark that ranks 111th in the league and trails every Washington starter except Alex Sarr.
That gap isn’t really about talent. It’s about situation.
Peterson has benefited from Utah’s injury pileup, while Dybantsa is working in a crowded Washington setup that keeps squeezing the runway for everyone else. Trae Young has been available, aside from the strange trade-related saga that leaked into his Wizards initiation last winter, and Anthony Davis remains Washington’s primary scorer.
Add in Kyshawn George and Alex Sarr, and the rookie is stuck in a starting group where too many capable creators are fighting for the same touches.
The Wizards’ double-overtime loss to the Detroit Pistons showed exactly how that hierarchy works in crunch time. Young’s double-pump shot at the end of regulation forced the extra periods and gave Washington a chance to steal the game from Cade Cunningham and company, even though the Wizards came up short. Afterward, Young made it clear there wasn’t much mystery about who was getting the final touch: “Everyone in the huddle wanted me to get the ball.”
That’s the reality for Washington right now. Young is on a $212 million contract, and he’s going to control the offense for the foreseeable future. The rookie can learn from that, and the team clearly sees value in those late-game reps, but the pecking order is set.
Dybantsa has still shown why he was such a prized prospect. He’s comfortable initiating from the top, and he’s already finding ways to pull defenders toward Young’s gravity. He doesn’t have Young’s pull-up volume or three-point appetite, but he’s the best athlete on the floor in most matchups, and his first step has already forced weak-side help to collapse on his drives.
The problem is what he’s running into once he gets downhill. Washington’s length has come with a catch: the double-big look.
Anthony Davis, Sarr and Deandre Ayton have not fit together cleanly, and the lack of enough spacing, rebounders and passers has made the offense clunky. Davis handles the ball more than anyone, often slowing things down to work from the high post, while Sarr camps in the corner and Ayton rolls to the rim.
That leaves little incentive for defenders to leave the paint.
Peterson and Dybantsa are different kinds of scorers, and Washington knew that when it made Peterson the first name off the board. Peterson is the three-level creator who can operate in tight spaces and doesn’t need much room to get to work.
Dybantsa is more dependent on the open floor and the freedom to attack in transition. He can get to his own midrange pull-up, and he showed that in the buzzer-beater that followed Young’s shot in the Pistons game.
He’s also already flashing the kind of foul-drawing craft that usually belongs to more seasoned scorers.
For now, though, the setup in Washington doesn’t look built to unlock the full version of his game. Unless the Wizards run into the same injury problems that have opened the door for Peterson in Utah, Dybantsa may have to wait a while before the offense starts tilting more heavily in his direction.
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