Darryn Peterson has only played in 16 of Kansas’ 28 games this season. However, Jayhawks head coach Bill Self believes there may be an upside to Peterson’s repetitive absences. After Kansas’ dominant win over No. 5 Houston on Monday, Self revealed how Peterson’s injuries have forced other players on his team to step up.

“Our guys have gotten so much better since the start. And, even playing without [Darryn Peterson] so much, I think in many ways, it’s forced our other guys to grow up,” Self told ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt. “Our ceiling is still well in front of us.

“There’s a lot of great teams out there that are playing really well, and they can still improve and get better, but I think we got a big gap that we can get better. We just got to get everybody healthy and on the same page.”

College basketball fans have theorized Peterson is engaging in “load management” this season. In seven of Peterson’s 15 appearances, he’s played fewer than 25 minutes.

The conversations around Peterson only grew louder last Wednesday after he subbed out of Kansas’ game against Oklahoma State with 17:22 remaining in the second half and didn’t return. Some pundits went as far as arguing that NBA teams shouldn’t draft Peterson because he may refuse to play.

Through the backlash, Bill Self has defended Peterson. After all, when the former five-star prospect plays, he’s nothing short of fantastic. Peterson is averaging 19.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game while shooting 48% from the field and 41.3% from beyond the arc.

Alas, as Self mentioned, he isn’t the only one playing well for the Jayhawks. In Kansas’ win over Houston, four Jayhawks scored double figures. Nobody outshined Tre White, who racked up a team-high 23 points, while shooting 3-4 from downtown.

Perhaps Peterson’s teammates wouldn’t be playing at the level they are now if he hadn’t missed any games this season. More exciting for Jayhawks fans, Self believes the team hasn’t reached their potential yet.

Kansas will look to build on its momentum Saturday when it squares off against No. 2 Arizona at 3 p.m. CT. The game will air live on ESPN. The Jayhawks handed Arizona its first loss of the season when the two teams met earlier this month.