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Darryn Peterson: The Risks — and Upside — of Taking Him No. 1

A sky-high ceiling paired with a low floor makes him an exciting but high-risk prospect

Jeremias Engelmann's avatar
Jeremias Engelmann
Feb 13, 2026
∙ Paid
Darryn Peterson, landing soon in an NBA arena near you. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)


Darryn Peterson entered his freshman season at Kansas as the nation’s No. 2-ranked player, according to RSCI. Since then, he’s climbed into the first spot on almost everyone’s draft board, even though Cameron Boozer is recording some of the best freshman stats we’ve ever seen, with AJ Dybantsa not far behind.

But should Peterson really be the clear-cut No. 1 prospect?

Let’s check the tape and the stats — and look at the major concerns surrounding Peterson — to determine where he belongs among this year’s elite draft prospects:

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Jeremias Engelmann's avatar
A guest post by
Jeremias Engelmann
Basketball analyst. Creator of ESPN's Real Plus-Minus. Formerly with the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks
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