Cameron Boozer and Darryn Peterson are going to see each other a lot in the NBA. They were both drafted into the Western Conference with the Memphis Grizzlies and Utah Jazz, respectively, setting them up for three or four regular-season matchups every single year. That's not to mention the possibility down the road of playoff serieses between the two.
The two will forever be linked, with Peterson going No. 2 to the Jazz and Boozer one pick later at No. 3 to the Grizzlies. That fact gives Boozer motivation. The fact that some believed Boozer should be Utah's pick undoubtedly gives Peterson motivation, too.
On Monday night in the Salt Lake City Summer League, NBA fans got the first taste of the rivalry, albeit with little on the line. Peterson's Jazz got the better of Boozer's Grizzlies 109-100, but both stars made their presence felt.
Peterson was the game's leading scorer and passer, putting up an impressive 25 points and 12 assists in 28 minutes of action. Boozer scored 18 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in 27 minutes while knocking down an efficient 6-of-9 attempts from the field.
But it was Peterson's night in Salt Lake. The Jazz ran everything through their star rookie guard while the Grizzlies are still trying to figure out how to best utilize Boozer. Summer League is all about tinkering.
Peterson couldn't let the moment pass in the postgame without making a pointed statement about Boozer, immediately adding fuel to a burgeoning NBA rivalry:
"I try to find something against everyone I play against," Peterson said. "He (Boozer) was the pick after me, so I know that he probably had an agenda today as well, so I couldn't let that ride."
Cameron Boozer vs. Darryn Peterson could be the future rivalry of the Western Conference
Right now, the West appears set to be dominated by the San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder, with Victor Wembanyama and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander likely going head-to-head for conference supremacy for at least the next few years.
But Monday night could have been a small glimpse of the rivalry that will take center stage after that one.
Boozer is a winner. He's won at every level he's ever played. It's only a matter of time before Memphis builds a team around him capable of competing with the upper echelon of the NBA.
And after a couple of Summer League games, it's pretty clear that the concerns about Peterson in the pre-draft process were unwarranted. He looks every bit like a future NBA superstar.
You may want to get out a pen and start circling the matchups between Boozer and Peterson in the regular season for years to come. If the first one, in just a Summer League game to boot, was any indication, a fierce NBA rivalry was just born.
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