FlurrySports details all of the number two selections in the Utah Jazz NBA Draft history, including Darrell Griffith.
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With the upcoming 2026 NBA Draft, the Utah Jazz hold the rights to the number two overall pick. Even though the Jazz were tied for the best lottery odds, the Washington Wizards came away with the number one pick. Utah has been somewhat of a laughing stock in the NBA over recent years, but all of a sudden, they have a young corps to build around. With young stars in Keyonte George and Ace Bailey, partnered with veterans like Jaren Jackson and Lauri Markkanen, Danny Ainge is building something very interesting in Salt Lake City.
Throughout the franchise’s history, the Wizards have held the second overall pick just once. With that number two pick, Utah selected one of the best athletes in NBA history as well as one of the best players in franchise history.
With that being said, let’s take a look at the number two picks in Utah Jazz NBA Draft history.
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Second Overall Picks in Utah Jazz NBA Draft History
1980 | Darrell Griffith – Forward – Louisville
Before he even stepped foot in the NBA, Darrell Griffith already etched his name into basketball history after delivering Louisville its first NCAA Championship in 1980. While with the Cardinals, Griffith put up gaudy numbers, finishing his senior season scoring 22.9 points per game (PPG) and taking home the John Wooden Player of the Year Award. For his efforts in college and to help transition from Pete Maravich, the Jazz elected to take Griffith with the second pick of the 1980 NBA Draft.
Griffith immediately made an impact for the Jazz, scoring 20.6 PPG and taking home the NBA Rookie of the Year award. Following Griffith’s rookie campaign, the Jazz made a big splash trading for Adrian Dantley. With Griffith and Dantley together on top of Mark Eaton holding down the low post, Utah qualified for the 1983-84 NBA Playoffs. During Utah’s climb to the playoffs, Griffith developed a three-point shot, becoming one of the first players in the NBA to adopt and excel at three-point shooting.
After bowing out of the playoffs in the second round to the Phoenix Suns, Griffith put together the best season of his career. Scoring 22.6 PPG, Griffith became one of the most exciting players in the league by shooting three and participating in the NBA’s Slam Dunk Contest. While it looked like the Jazz had a superstar in the making, things dramatically slowed down for Griffith. During a pickup game in October of 1985, the Louisville alum suffered a stress fracture in his foot, forcing him to miss the entire next season.
Injuries continued to plague Griffith for the remainder of his career, as he was never able to get back to his 20+ PPG scoring average. The franchise also shifted for Utah, as they brought in both John Stockton and Karl Malone in the mid-80s. Not needing Griffith to be the superstar anymore, he moved to more of a reserve role, where he played well but never blossomed into what everyone believed that he could be.
Finally, after the 1990-91 season, Griffith called it quits in the NBA and currently sits at fourth all-time in Jazz history in total points scored. While the Jazz have never won a championship, they have had several Hall of Fame-level players, and it is still Griffith who gets ranked among the best in franchise history.
2026 | Darryn Peterson (?) – Guard – Kansas
At this point, it is widely believed that the Washington Wizards will select AJ Dybantsa with the number one pick in the NBA Draft. While there have been some arguments made for Utah to select Duke’s Cam Boozer, Darryn Peterson will hear his name called second in the draft. There is still a scenario where the Jazz put together a package to swap spots with the Wizards, but given the team’s strong young corps, it may cost a little too much to move up. If that trade does not come to be, that is not a bad thing for Utah.
While at Kansas, Peterson proved to be an NBA-level scorer who can make shots from anywhere on the court. Peterson has a lightning-quick step, dribbles with the ball strong, and is exceptional at creating shots for himself and others. The only issue was the time that he missed while in college. It sounds like these concerns are in the rearview mirror, making Peterson the most NBA-ready player in the draft.
What Jazz fans should be excited about is adding another piece to this already strong young corps. Peterson played better in an off-the-ball role at Kansas, something that will work well with Keyonte George being the team’s primary ball handler. While Peterson’s offensive game steals the headlines, his work on the defensive side of the ball is as impressive. Similar to Donovan Mitchell, Peterson sports a 6-10 wingspan and has all of the tools to be a great on-ball defender in this league.
After drafting Peterson, if Utah can land a 20 PPG scorer and finally move on from Lauri Markkanen (Markkanen is not a bad player; it is just time for a divorce), I would not be shocked if we see an Atlanta Hawks-esque season from this year, next season.
