BYU star AJ Dybantsa is widely seen as the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, but there are a few cracks in that thinking, or really just confidence from other potential draft picks.. The other challenger for the top pick is former Kansas guard Darryn Peterson.
The Washington Wizards hold the number one pick, and Peterson only worked out for them, electing not to hold a workout with the Utah Jazz or Memphis Grizzlies. Those two teams hold the second and third picks.
“He’s only working out for Washington, but he did meet with the Utah Jazz at the NBA combine in Chicago last month,” ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reported on SportsCenter. “And I think there’s a sense of people in Utah may have taken the idea that he’s not working out for them privately some kind of way, but that’s really been stressed to me as it’s not anything against Utah or Memphis or any of the teams that take action.”
In that same SportsCenter report, it is believed that Peterson is leaning into his confidence that whoever ends up holding the top pick will select him over Dybantsa.
“It’s more a statement that Darryn Peterson believes he should go No. 1 overall. That’s what he’s focused on. He’d be happy to go to the Washington Wizards. And if for some reason they didn’t take him, he feels pretty confident that he would not slip past Utah at No. 2.”
Not working out with Utah or Memphis is not a slight against any other team, but there is some concern from Peterson that going to the Jazz could cause some issues with positional overlap.
Per NBA insider Jake Fischer: “Peterson’s camp, though, sources say there’s as much motivation to avoid a positional overlap with incumbent ballhandler Keyonte George on the team that holds the No. 2 overall pick as there is a desire to go No. 1 ahead of Dybantsa and [Cameron] Boozer.”
Of course, Peterson wants to go number one over Dybantsa, and it will all be decided on draft day.
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This article originally appeared on BYU Cougars Wire: Darryn Peterson believes he will go No. 1 in NBA Draft