On Sunday evening, the Kansas basketball program's 2026 season came to an end with a narrow loss to St. John's at the buzzer in the Round of 32. It was a mixed bag of a game for Darryn Peterson, who scored 21 points but shot just 5-15 from the field in what many expect was the final college game of his career.
Peterson is viewed by many to be the favorite for the number one pick in the upcoming NBA Draft class, but recently, ESPN sports media personality Stephen A. Smith spoke on why he doesn't see things that way.
“Every single game we find ourselves asking, ‘What is he doing?' That is not an investment that you can trust with the number one overall pick in the NBA Draft,” said Smith on “First Take,” per First Take on X, formerly Twitter.
There have indeed been multiple puzzling instances involving Peterson this year, including one where he seemed to check himself out of a game midway through, as well as another in which he was ruled out during warmups with an illness, causing some to question how seriously he takes the game, or whether injuries will become a problem for him on the NBA level.
However, when he's on the court, Peterson is as talented as anyone, showcasing a unique combination of playmaking, athleticism, and outside shooting touch that theoretically makes him a perfect fit for the modern archetype of score-first point guards in the NBA.
Who goes number one between Peterson, Cameron Boozer, and AJ Dybantsa may very well come down to which team ends up getting the number one pick, and what their specific needs are.
The NBA Draft is set to take place in late June.
