Utah guard Darryn Peterson took the inbound pass while bracketed between two Miami Heat defenders. Peterson galloped down the court at a controlled pace and used a screen in the paint to finish with a layup before the halftime buzzer sounded.

There were only 4.9 seconds left on the game clock, but Peterson was in full control.

There’s a fluidity and smoothness to his game that’s rare to see in most NBA players, much less 19-year-olds.

In fact, his TikTok highlights might as well feature Erykah Badu’s “Didn’t Cha Know” in the background.

The sultry neo-soul song is the unofficial anthem of Celtics superstar Paul George, but it fits Peterson well.

And George likely wouldn’t mind if it’s used for a player who hopes to become the face of the Utah Jazz franchise.

Even though Peterson knows it’ll take some time.

“Obviously, what’s down the line, we don’t really know,” Peterson told The Salt Lake Tribune. “That’s a goal of mine. I’m just happy he’s coaching me the way he [Will Hardy] is.”

Make no mistake, Hardy is coaching Peterson to become Utah’s franchise player one day. That’s the hope, at least.

That means getting coached hard and held to a higher standard, though Peterson believes Hardy holds every player to the same standard.

That standard means getting yelled at about getting into the right defensive stance, as Peterson did in Utah’s loss to Miami.

Other times, it means something else.

“I’ve got to make strides on defense,” he said. “My defense wasn’t great tonight, but just the fact that he’s calling it out is huge. I got to be better on that side of the ball, and he’s just on me for everything. Finding shots, finding [my] teammates, running back and [proper] defense.”

With stars Jaren Jackson and Lauri Markkanen, along with big man Jusuf Nurkic, out with injuries, Peterson is getting thrown into the deep end early alongside Ace Bailey and Keyonte George.

It’s a sink-or-swim moment for the rookie, but he’s found a groove in the last few games. He’s scored 20 or more points in four straight games.

Multiple team sources have told The Tribune that there is excitement within the organization about Peterson’s play and what he could become.

That said, the Jazz understand that Peterson will have some struggles over the next month or so as he gets extended playing time.

That’s the life of an NBA rookie. Hardy doesn’t want to overload Peterson, but with the injuries, he understands he has a lot on his plate right now.

It’s easy to get excited after Peterson had 25 points, four rebounds and four assists against Miami, or even after he scored 8 points in the first five minutes of Utah’s loss to the Magic.

But the Jazz know there’s still plenty of development ahead.

“We’re a long way from stamping DP that he has arrived, or this is something that we should be able to expect every single night,” Hardy said. “He’s handling himself really, really well.

“I think last game gives you a lot of, sort of, glimmers of what could be. But we’ve got to stay on the foundational parts of it to make sure that we build the habits correctly.”

The Miami game provided Peterson with a chance to be Utah’s primary ball-handler with Keyonte George out with an ankle sprain. At Kansas, Peterson primarily played off the ball, and in the pros, he’s mostly done the same.

But he’s had the ball in his hands more recently.

He told The Tribune that being the primary ball-handler didn’t feel much different, aside from making him a little more tired.

As for what Hardy thought of his play?

“I thought he was great. I think there’s, believe me, there’s tons to clean up,” Hardy said. “Darryn’s improving and studying it and working at it really hard, but I think he’s showing a ton of growth in that area. I think not just last night, but in segments against Minnesota. We’re seeing him continue to evolve.

“That doesn’t mean that there won’t be a night where it feels like a half step back. That’s just the nature of young players developing.”