This year's Kansas basketball team has a lot of talent, but has been mired in speculation about Darryn Peterson. He has so much talent, but has been in and out of the lineup for the Jayhawks this season. That has resulted in the Jayhawks having issues with chemistry and rhythm, and is partly why Cincinnati shocked Kansas at home in a game the Jayhawks looked lifeless in.
On the most recent episode of “The Bill Simmons Podcast,” Simmons spoke with NBA analyst Zach Lowe about what is going on with Darryn Peterson. He said he thinks it's too weird and that it's no longer a slam dunk he goes No. 1. Dybantsa has been much more reliable, and Lowe also said that, from people in scouting around the NBA, he has heard that no one knows what is going on.
Simmons said, “I’m not sure Darryn Peterson is going to go first anymore. Which I would have bet anything on two months ago. There’s just too much weirdness with this Kansas thing. With him coming out of games, the cramping, and the competitiveness. Unless he’s actually hurt, which is now a new theory. I think teams value competitiveness too much. It’s the number one thing we’ve learned about the NBA over the last 15 years.”
It is also worth noting that Simmons compared the situation to what was going on with Ben Simmons when he was in college at LSU, and basically opted out of caring about the NIT because LSU missed the NCAA Tournament.
“I don’t like it, I don’t understand it, and it gives me Ben Simmons flashbacks to the LSU thing where he was just like, ‘I’m out,’ and didn’t care if they made the NIT or whatever,” he said.
Peterson has an undeniable skill set, but the best ability is availability, and that has been a big issue for Peterson, considering that the freshman has sat out 11 of the Jayhawks' 27 games and has played fewer than 25 minutes in seven of his 16 appearances as a result of hamstring and ankle injuries, including persistent cramping. The home stretch for Kansas is going to be really interesting on his end, and Bill Self already sent him a strong message.
