The Utah Jazz were handed a couple of unfortunate injuries to kick off this past week in their matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Not only did the Jazz end up losing Jaren Jackson Jr. for at least the next six weeks due to a torn MCL, but their other star forward, Lauri Markkanen, went down with a wrist sprain that has led to him being listed as day-to-day.

That means, for the young players who remain healthy around the roster, now is as good a time as ever to take ahold of some greater responsibilities on both ends of the floor to try and keep this group afloat for whatever extent they're shorthanded.

And that's especially so for someone like No. 2 overall pick Darryn Peterson, who joined this Jazz roster earlier this summer on a roster already filled with some solid talent across the board, but now finds himself in a much more important role being down three starters within the first five games of the year.

Darryn Peterson's Ready to Be More Aggressive

Peterson knows that in order to take advantage of those extended responsibilities without guys like Jackson Jr. and Markkanen, he has to have an increased focus on staying aggressive, creating for himself, and looking get involved more on both ends

However, that's also while still having the overarching goal of helping the team win some games.

"I think, like, my teammates and coaches have been telling me to be more aggressive, continue to make plays for the team and myself, but still just trying to do everything I can to help the team win," Peterson said. "We've got other great guys that I feel like I know are going to step up now."

"They both went down in a short span. But, I was in the middle of the game. So, my mindset was just still trying to win. But then, we figured out what they both had; Jaren's torn MCL and Lauri's wrist. It sucks, but that's the game. We know injuries are going to happen, but now we got to figure out how to still win and still got to play and get dubs. So, figure it out.

Even at just 19 years old, Peterson is certainly talented enough to be both a contributor to winning games, but also look for more opportunities to get involved individually.

And for the Jazz's long-term interests, it's likely best that they get Peterson more involved now that the lineup is stuck a little shorthanded.

Through the first five games of the year, their top-two pick has averaged 12.8 points on a little over 12 shots a game. While his efficiency could serve to be a bit better––as he's shooting under 35% from the field––it's extremely early on for Peterson in what is expected to be a long career. A five-game sample size is less than 7% of the Jazz's entire 82-game season.

Perhaps with the Jazz being shorthanded and the rookie having a chance at a larger workload offensively, now can be the perfect time to get the rookie a bit more comfortable, and lead to Utah looking even more dangerous as a whole once they're back to 100%.