Kansas star Darryn Peterson isn’t expected to pack it in for the 2025-26 season and focus on the NBA draft as he recovers from a hamstring injury.
“As for Peterson, the question came up whether he might shut it down the rest of the year now that he’s more or less cemented into a high draft slot, but both the scouts and the college hoop experts I talked to thought that was unlikely,” The Athletic’s John Hollinger reported Monday.
Head coach Bill Self said Peterson could potentially be back for Tuesday’s highly anticipated clash with UConn. Even if he isn’t cleared in time, that points to a return on the sooner end.
Peterson was the No. 2 overall player behind BYU’s AJ Dybantsa in 247Sports’ composite rankings for 2025, and the 6’6″ guard showcased his talent in Kansas’ first two games before getting hurt. He had 43 combined points on 60 percent shooting against Green Bay and North Carolina.
In his newest mock draft, Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman projected Peterson to go first overall to the Washington Wizards.
“From the early tape he’s delivered, it’s looked like fairly seamless transition for Peterson,” Wasserman wrote. “He’s appeared ultra-quick and slithery getting to his spots. The tough shotmaking has been shown, particularly from off the ball with his catch-and-shoot game.
“Aggressive defensively, he’s already blown up multiple plays and turned them into fastbreak points the other way.”
Peterson doesn’t have to appear in another game, and he might be a lock for the top 10.
Michael Porter Jr. had much bigger red flags health-wise heading into the 2018 draft and he managed to go 14th overall. James Wiseman was the No. 2 pick in 2020 despite logging just three appearances for Memphis.
A hamstring injury is unlikely to force teams to look at Peterson in a far more critical light.
If the Jayhawks star wants to be the No. 1 pick, however, he’ll need to earn it on the court. The more time he misses, the bigger the gap could grow between he and the pair of Dybantsa and Cameron Boozer.