Bruce Pearl sends warning to NBA teams eyeing Darryn Peterson for the 2026 Draft

Jayhawk fans are rightfully a little confused and frustrated by the drama surrounding superstar freshman Darryn Peterson. Heck, most college basketball fans feel the same way because when Peterson is on the court, it's must-see TV. 

But Peterson hasn't been on the court much lately and even when he is, there's something going on. This has Bruce Pearl wondering if Peterson is going to survive in the NBA. The former Tennessee/Auburn coach and frequent target of NCAA investigations said that if he were coaching in the NBA (lol), he would have concerns.

"I don't think this is going to affect his draft stock. Everyone that I talk to in the league...he still looks like the number one guy," Pearl said. "But if I was coaching in the NBA, I'm sorry, I would have some concerns. Missing 11 out of 24 games for hamstring and quad pulls and illnesses...just a long list of different things."

Bruce Pearl has thoughts on Darryn Peterson's NBA future

There's no need to remind you that Pearl won next to nothing in Division I college basketball and his teams generally broke down in the tournament. Plus, he couldn't survive a week coaching in the NBA. But that's his opinion, and I'm sure it means something to someone.

Luckily, there are a couple of former NBA players on the panel and Jamal Mashburn brought some common sense to the discussion. He mentioned that Peterson's issues probably have less to do with his toughness and simply more to do with building up his body, and less do we forget he's 19 years old and a few years from being in peak physical condition. 

"I'm not necessarily concerned. I'd rather have him on the court and let him adjust to his body and what he can actually do," Mashburn said. "He's a premier talent. When he's on the court, he's probably the best player on the court at any particular moment."

Bill Self knows that and knows that it's important for Peterson to be as close to 100 percent as he can be when he'll really need to lean on him in mid-late March. That's what the experience of winning two championships brings to a program. Peterson doesn't have to be great every game. He has to be great in the biggest moments of the biggest games. 

But Mashburn's final point was the most important: Kansas has done quite well in the games that Peterson hasn't played in and the growing confidence Self has in the rest of the roster will prove to be beneficial during the final two weekends of March.