Kansas freshman Darryn Peterson has gone from the surefire first pick in this June’s NBA Draft to a buyer-beware prospect.
Though it would still be a shock to see Peterson fall out of the top three, his work ethic, toughness, and love of the game are routinely being questioned throughout NBA circles. Peterson has sat out numerous games this season and asked out of others for a variety of reasons, including for what some have speculated was a common cold.
His availability, or lack thereof, is reaching Greg Oden-like levels. His desire to play basketball is starting to teeter toward Ben Simmons territory.
As an NBA prospect, that’s not exactly ideal.
Noted hoop heads, Bill Simmons and Zach Lowe, both of The Ringer, are the latest to sound the alarm on Peterson’s stock.
“I’m not sure Darryn Peterson’s going to go first anymore, which I would’ve bet anything on two months ago,” Simmons said during the most recent episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast. “But there’s just too much weirdness with this Kansas thing with him coming out of games and the cramping and the competitiveness.
“…I think teams value competitiveness too much. It’s the number one thing we’ve learned about the NBA in the last 15 years. You know what’s a good idea to have? Competitive guys. And I think this has just gotten too weird with the Kansas thing. I think there might be better picks.”
Peterson’s talent is undeniable. He’s a 6-foot-6 guard with quickness, length and the ability to finish at the rim or from deep. Peterson’s averaging just a tick under 20 points per game to go along with 3.8 rebounds. He’s shooting 41.3% from three. But the Jayhawks’ freshman has only played in 16 games. And he’s played more than 30 minutes just seven times this season.
Do teams want that baggage with the top overall pick?
“I had so many Darryn Peterson conversations,” Lowe added. “And I remember talking to various people being like, ‘What? He just took himself out of the game?’”
Lowe was referring to a Kansas game last week when Peterson attempted a shot, seemed to look fine, then immediately signaled to coach Bill Self to remove him from the game. “No one knows what to make of it,” said Lowe.
Should NBA teams decide to pull a Peterson and tap out on the Kansas prospect come Draft time, BYU’s AJ Dybantsa or Duke’s Cameron Boozer would likely supplement Peterson as the top overall selection. A scenario that seems increasingly likely by the day.
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