Kansas freshman guard Darryn Peterson is in contention for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, but so far Jayhawks fans have been left wondering when they’ll see the future NBA player on the court again. Darryn Peterson has been dealing with a hamstring injury that’s kept him sidelined for the past six games, but is set to be re-evaluated on Friday, as per Matt Norlander of CBS Sports.
According to Kansas head coach Bill Self, Darryn Peterson’s re-evaluation on Friday will possibly determine whether or not he can return from his injury in time for the Jayhawks big game next week on Tuesday, Dec. 2 against UConn, as told to Norlander. Self also mentioned that the freshman guard is doing everything he can to get back on the court.
Peterson has only suited up in two games so far for Kansas, at just about 25 minutes per game. He was averaging 21.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.0 blocked shots with splits of 60 percent shooting from the field, 50 percent shooting from the 3-point line and 77.8 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
Even before the 2025-26 NCAA season began, Peterson was among a small handful of players who have staked their claim in being the top overall pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. That short list incudes BYU forward AJ Dybantsa and Duke forward Cameron Boozer.
This season, Kansas is looking to achieve greater postseason success as they have not advanced past the round of 32 of the NCAA Tournament in the past three seasons. It wasn’t that long ago when Kansas won the national championship in 2021-22.
