Darryn Peterson\u2019s bizarre season with the Kansas Jayhawks may well cost him a chance at going No. 1 overall in the NBA Draft.<\/p>\n
After entering the season as a projected first overall selection, Peterson has seen his stock fall a bit due to recurring injuries and questions about his reliability. The concerns are significant enough that one top NBA evaluator who might have the chance to pick Peterson No. 1 said their organization would likely choose someone else.<\/p>\n
\u201cToo many question marks,\u201d the evaluator told Marc Stein of The Stein Line<\/a>.<\/p>\n Members of teams in the mix for the No. 1 pick say they wouldn\u2019t take Darryn Peterson with the No. 1 pick \ud83d\ude33, per @TheSteinLine<\/a> <\/p>\n \u201cSays at least one top talent evaluator whose team will be in the mix for the No. 1 overall pick via the draft lottery in May: \u2018I wouldn’t take\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/OzMn1F0LGS<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) March 2, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n No one questions Peterson\u2019s talent. He has, however, dealt with injuries and has left multiple games this season due to cramping. This has given rise to theories that he is trying to avoid playing to preserve himself for the NBA Draft process, though all involved have denied this.<\/p>\n Coach Bill Self has consistently defended Peterson, but even he has admitted that the only way Peterson can silence the doubters is by finishing more games<\/a>. Some of those doubters, it would appear, are working for NBA teams, which is bad news for Peterson.<\/p>\n Peterson has been largely effective when he has played. He is averaging 19.7 points in 27.6 minutes per game on the season.<\/p>\n