Darryn Peterson is currently the overall choice to go number one. This isn’t a scenario like last season with Cooper Flagg, who was guaranteed the number one spot. But Peterson is not far off of Flagg prospect-wise, and in any other draft—maybe one where AJ Dybantsa isn’t in—Peterson would be the clear number one selection, with some calling him one of the greatest guard prospects of all time. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been smooth sailing for Peterson.
Profile
The 2025-2026 NCAA regular season just concluded, and while Kansas has no intention of their season ending anytime soon, we now have a finalized sample size to evaluate Peterson and his potential fit with the Jazz. Peterson played in only 20 of a possible 31 games for the Jayhawks. Peterson averaged 28 minutes per game (lots of drama with that number), 19.9 points, 1.8 assists, 4.2 rebounds, 1.4 steals, 0.5 blocks, shooting 45.7% from the field, 38.7% from three-point land, and 81.6% from the free throw line.
Team: Kansas Jayhawks
Year: Freshman
Position: Combo Guard
Height & Weight: 6’6| 205 lbs
Born: January 17th, 2007
Hometown: Canton, OH
High School: Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy, Huntington Prep, Prolific Prep.
Strengths
The hype for Darryn Peterson is justified. His strengths are literally almost anything and everything. He’s often listed as a point guard, but he’s not a traditional point by any means. The players that’ve been compared and linked to Peterson say a lot… Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, Kawhi Leonard, and some even comparing him to Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan. Peterson is a true two-way player; he plays hard, stiff defense and has the potential to be an elite defender at the guard position in the NBA. He’s truly a three-level scorer. His handle is amazing for someone who just turned 19, his shot is absolute butter, and it’ll only improve as he ages. His + size for the guard position combined with his elite athleticism gives him an unfair advantage over everyone he plays against. Going back to the Bryant and Jordan comparisons, some players truly just move different on the court—it’s a certain fluidity. I saw it with Flagg last year, Jordan had it, Bryant had it, and Peterson has it. People have lots of questions about Peterson and we’ll get into them in a moment, but there’s no denying Peterson is one of the best guard prospects ever, and he’ll be looking to add “NCAA National champion” to the resume shortly.
Weaknesses
Okay so let’s address the elephant in the room. The truth is, basketball-wise Peterson is incredibly polished and has little to no technical weaknesses—you’d probably like the playmaking to be a little better—but the true concerns sit elsewhere. When you hold a top pick in the draft, and the Jazz are on track to have that if they keep losing… you have to nail it! You cannot miss. If you do, you get fired. It’s looking like the Jazz hit with Ace Bailey, but many people believe Peterson is a potential fireable draft selection. Experts question his character, love for the game, and his body. As mentioned earlier, Peterson has missed 11 games this season, only playing in 20. Worth noting that’s with the NCAA schedule much smaller in size, with games more spaced out compared to the daunting NBA schedule with 82 games and back-to-backs. People see Peterson “load managing” and get all scared that it’ll only get worse in the NBA. It hasn’t just been the missed games… It’s also been Peterson completely sitting out in massive moments of games, missing even the whole second half. Sometimes with no explanation. Peterson has been through it this season, being listed as out with a hamstring strain, ankle sprain, quad cramping, and illness. Peterson will fit right into the Jazz’s injury report! All jokes aside, there’s valid reason to be very concerned selecting a guy like Peterson so high, especially if you have the choice to draft Dybantsa, Boozer, or even a guy like Caleb Wilson. All this being said, Bill Self—one of the greatest college basketball coaches of all time—had this to say about Peterson: “I don’t know that we’ve had a guy who studies the game, has prepared himself for this more so than what Darryn Peterson has.” That alone should be enough to shut that narrative down. Peterson also had his own message to the critics, listed below.
Conclusion
Peterson has the potential to be an MVP-level player, and you pair that next to Keyonte George, Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Ace Bailey—you have the makeup for a potential championship run as early as next season. The truth is, if the Jazz grab a top-4 pick in this draft, you truly can’t go wrong, but if the Jazz get the number one pick, and if it was my choice… I’m running to the podium to select Darryn Peterson.
