Darryn Peterson says he expected to go No. 1, and calls his rivalry with AJ Dybantsa “a social media thing”

Jazz rookie Darryn Peterson says he expected to be the top pick in this year’s draft until commissioner Adam Silver made the official announcement, Marc J. Spears relays from a video diary.

Peterson believes he is the best player in this year’s class, but he said he was happy to wind up in Utah with the No. 2 choice. He also played down talk of a rivalry with AJ Dybantsa, the No. 1 pick.

“It’s more of a social media thing [between] me and him,” Peterson said. “When we were at [basketball] camps and that [NBA] Rookie Transition [Program], we spent some time together. Me and him were super cool. But I think it’s cool that we got the little ‘me versus him’ thing going on as well. Just because, why not? The No. 1 pick versus No. 2. But me and him have a great relationship. We’re just two competitors.”

Utah is counting on another young forward, second-year player Ace Bailey, to become a “two-way player,” Shreyas Laddha reports. Team sources told Laddha that Bailey’s defensive progress was one of the highlights of training camp. “Offense is going to come,” Bailey said. “I’m not worried about the offensive end. I mean, I can score. It’s just mainly just focused on the defensive end, just being the two-way player we need.”