Darryn Peterson is doing his best to keep up with AJ Dybantsa … in multiple different ways.
The Kansas Jayhawks freshman sensation Peterson turned heads this week with some comments about his future. Speaking with reporters after the team’s 105-84 victory over rival Kansas State at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kan. on Saturday, Peterson said that he might be open to playing another year in college.
“I love Kansas,” said Peterson, who scored 27 points against Kansas State on 10/15 shooting. “I love everything about being here and my team.
“Maybe one more year,” Peterson added. “I might run it back.”
The 19-year-old Peterson is regarded as one of the most complete and NBA-ready prospects of the 21st century, averaging 19.5 points per game on 45/39/81 shooting splits. If Peterson declares for the draft this summer, he will have an excellent chance of being the No. 1 overall pick.
However, Peterson has also caused his own draft stock to dip in recent weeks. NBA teams are reportedly beginning to have doubts about Peterson at No. 1 overall due to his tendency to miss games this season because of recurring and (sometimes) seemingly random injuries. Peterson has only made 20 of a possible 31 appearances for Kansas this year, and even head coach Bill Self has sounded frustrated at times with Peterson’s lack of availability.
Meanwhile, Peterson’s comments come just days after his fellow top draft prospect Dybantsa of BYU also hinted at potentially forgoing the 2026 NBA Draft to return to school. Fans ultimately did not believe Dybantsa’s comments due to the immense upside of going to the NBA for elite prospects, and that may be the case here once again with Peterson’s comments.
