THE UTAH JAZZ gave their summer league squad the day off Sunday, but rookie No. 2 overall pick Darryn Peterson showed up to the team's practice facility in the morning eager for a film session with coach Will Hardy.
Hardy and Peterson reviewed the rookie's spectacular summer league debut clip by clip, which will be routine for them early in his career while focusing more intently on the defensive end of the floor. Hardy asked the 19-year-old about the term "Raven," which is Jazz jargon for the defensive shifting technique the coaches teach to emphasize utilizing wingspan with arms extended wide.
In passing, Hardy mentioned that the term is a nod to one of his favorite athletes, Pro Football Hall of Fame safety Ed Reed. Peterson, who was 5 years old when Reed played his final down for the Baltimore Ravens in 2012, responded with a perplexed look.
"Then the conversation evolved into, 'Well, do you know who Ed Reed is?'" Hardy told ESPN as he sat next to Peterson a couple of days later. "And when he said no, I was upset. So, we had to pivot away from basketball for 10 minutes and make sure that we got a good dose of Ed Reed highlights."