Despite his constant cramping issues, Kansas basketball star Darryn Peterson is still expected to be the No. 1 pick of the 2026 NBA Draft. Fourteen-year NBA veteran Draymond Green supports that claim, believing his talent will reign supreme.
While Green questioned Peterson's headspace — he claimed to hear that the freshman was benched against Arizona and not actually affected by the flu — he acknowledged the 19-year-old's obvious talent. Based on his experience in the league, Green said he believes Peterson's health concerns will not prevent him from becoming the No. 1 pick in June.
“I saw people saying, ‘Will this affect Darryn Peterson's draft stock?'” Green said on ‘The Draymond Green Show.' “And I'm here to tell you, hell no. The people in this league who think Darryn Peterson is who he is and going to be what he’s going to be, is taking that chance. Remember Ben Simmons? Ben Simmons was the number one pick. I think his team won nine games his freshman year. When they think you got the talent, they are striking. And let me tell you, everybody thinks Darryn Peterson has the talent. This will not affect his draft stock one bit.”
There is no denying Peterson as one of the most dynamic players in college basketball, but he has been frustratingly unavailable for Kansas. The highly-touted freshman has appeared in just 13 of the Jayhawks' first 23 games and continues to be knocked out by various injuries.
Peterson's biggest hurdle is his cramping issue, which has plagued him all season. Peterson seems to cramp up every time he returns from an injury and has not played consecutive games since Jan. 20.
Despite the concerns, Peterson still tops all early mock drafts as the No. 1 pick of the 2026 NBA Draft.
