Kansas basketball got a big win in overtime against NC State, but they had to do it without their best player toward the end of the game. Darryn Peterson, a projected top NBA prospect after this season, was dealing with hamstring tightness, and head coach Bill Self took him out of the game at the 2:15 mark. He watched the rest of the game from the bench.
After the game, Self shared what was going on with the point guard and why he took him out.
“I think he was getting tight,” Self said via the Associated Press. “I haven't talked to the doctor yet or the trainer about it, but he said he needed to come out. He's experienced this every game that we've played, so I was happy that he got that far, that deep into the game. Because it's happened to start the second half every other game.
“I think it's just tightness but I haven't even found out yet.”
Peterson had just returned a few games ago after missing time with a hamstring injury. Before exiting the game, he had 17 points, five rebounds, and four assists in 31 minutes, which was a season-high in playing time for him this season.
It's uncertain what Peterson's status will be moving forward, but it looks like Kansas wants to be careful with putting him on the court. Hamstring issues are also hard to manage, as sometimes it could take a short amount of time to recover, while other times, it could take longer than expected to come back.
Peterson is supposed to be a one-and-done prospect, and he is projected to be the best point guard coming out of the draft. This might be one of the deepest drafts coming up next year, with other prospects such as Cam Boozer and AJ Dybantsa projected to enter the pool.
