Wearing his brand new Utah Jazz hat and sitting behind a microphone on draft night, Darryn Peterson was midway through his answer when something else — someone else — caught his attention.

“Kobe is my guy, and I’m inspired by him. So I just try to think, what would Kobe do right now? He’d get drafted and move on and try to go be the best possible,” Peterson said.

Then the NBA draft’s No. 2 pick glanced up at a television in the room.

“I see a guy that went No. 1 on the screen right now,” Peterson said. “So, I’m extra motivated.”

In the lead-up to the NBA draft, there were daily debates about who was the best prospect and talent in this year’s loaded class.

Darryn Peterson or AJ Dybantsa?

The conversation began even before Peterson committed to Kansas and Dybantsa joined BYU. In the high school prospect rankings, the duo traded spots at No. 1 and No. 2.

The debate was settled for one night when the Washington Wizards took Dybantsa over Peterson with the draft’s top pick. But the argument will pick back up as the two young stars begin their NBA careers — starting with a head-to-head showdown on Thursday night in the Las Vegas Summer League.

When Peterson’s Jazz take on Dybantsa’s Wizards (7 p.m. MDT), it will be the fourth time the two will have faced off. And as Peterson’s supporters will remind you, it’s the Jazz guard who holds the advantage.

“The career series up to this point is 3-0 for Darryn,” said Ryan Bernardi, who coached Peterson at Prolific Prep.

In December 2024, Peterson had 32 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists to lead Prolific to a win over Utah Prep. Dybantsa had an impressive stat line of his own, though: 28 points, eight rebounds, six assists, four steals and two blocks.

The two schools met again in February 2025. Dybantsa scored 49 points in that game. But Peterson finished with 61 — including the game-winning 3-pointer.

Peterson also won their only meeting in college. Peterson had 18 points (in 20 minutes) compared to Dybantsa’s 17, helping the Jayhawks to a 90-82 win over the Cougars at the Allen Fieldhouse.

Bernardi said the Jazz rookie guard has risen to the occasion each time he’s faced Dybantsa.

“You saw it this year when he played against AJ,” Bernardi said. “In the big moments, he shows up. You don’t have to worry about him in the big games.”

Despite falling to Peterson in their three matchups, the one advantage Dybantsa has had over the former Kansas guard was his availability.

Peterson played in only 24 games his freshman season, due to lingering cramping issues and a hamstring injury. Dybantsa? He appeared in all 35 games at BYU.

Some speculated Peterson’s health was the reason he didn’t go No. 1 overall. Now Peterson is using it as fuel heading into his rookie season in Salt Lake City.

“I didn’t get to play all the games I wanted to,” Peterson said after the draft. “My first goal is to play all 82. Make the playoffs. Try to get a ring.

“I saw some rookies get deep in the playoffs, and they kind of inspired me to get there. They came up short, but I want to go all the way and get a ring.”

Despite his injury concerns, Peterson still believed he was set to become the No. 1 pick.

So did Dybantsa.

Dybantsa played at Prolific his junior season before leaving for Utah Prep, but Bernardi admitted he’s biased in favor of Peterson.

“The great thing about Darryn is this: he’s got a chip on his shoulder, and it will fuel him,” Bernardi said. “But it’s not going to be loud, and it’s not going to be braggadocious behind the scenes.”

The coach thinks their rivalry will be great for both players, their fans and their teams.

“I could see it being a very healthy, positive rivalry, nothing that is rooted in distaste or anger or anything like that — just a good, healthy rivalry,” he said.

For the foreseeable future, the young stars’ performances will be magnified against one another.

Who is the better player? Should Peterson or Dybantsa have gone No. 1? Those questions will intensify every time they hit the court against each other.

“He’s a killer, and he will have those important games circled.”

For now, Peterson has a three-win edge in the matchup. Bernardi thinks Peterson has the advantage in the long run, too.

“I think the Jazz got the best player,” Bernardi said. I think that will show itself over the next one to three to five years.”