There is no doubt that Darryn Peterson is one of the top talents in college basketball right now. However, his desire to play the game is being questioned due to some of his latest antics. On Thursday, a college basketball analyst came to Peterson's defense.
During a segment on CBS Sports, analyst Adam Finkelstein believes that Peterson's actions are hurting his draft stock. However, he claims that, for that reason, the Kansas star may actually be dealing with some kind of injury. Finkelstein argues that if the true freshman guard was truly trying to protect his draft stock, he would have shut down his playing time completely to prevent possible further injury.
“This is the other part of this story, right, like, I think this is the part that so many people have gotten wrong, thinking that [Peterson is] only out here to protect his draft stock,” said Finkelstein. “Guess what? He's not helping his draft stock right now. If he wanted to protect his draft stock, he would've shut it down from the very beginning.
“He's not doing that,” continued Finkelstein. “Which tells me he actually wants to play. Which tells me there's actually something going on here. Whether it's physical, mental, or something else, that's for these executives to try and get to the bottom of. But I think this is a young man who wants to play.”
"He has had every opportunity to shut it down … the one thing no one should be saying is he does not want to be out there."@AdamFinkelstein breaks down Darryn Peterson's availability concerns. pic.twitter.com/miFY58zCoB
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) February 19, 2026
Darryn Peterson has played in 15 out of Kansas' 26 available games so far this season. He's missed 11 games due to several different injuries, including hamstring strains, ankle issues, cramping, and even illness.
Although he has had a string of injury concerns, there have been moments where Darryn Peterson seems to pull himself out of games. The Kansas star did it during the Jayhawks' 81-69 win over the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Wednesday night. Peterson tapped head coach Bill Self on the chest after shooting a three-pointer, indicating he needed to come out of the contest. Peterson only played 18 minutes in that game.
When he plays, Darry Peterson is awesome. So far through the 2025-26 campaign, Peterson is averaging 20.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game while shooting 48.5% from the floor and 43.1% from beyond the three-point line.
