Basketball is right around the corner. While it still feels like an eon away, both the college and professional levels are beginning to forecast next season’s breakout stars, which for the NBA is a tall task, considering the talent-flooded 2026 draft class that is just now working itself up to the rigors of an NBA lifestyle.
Of course, the most recent Jayhawk to announce himself to the rest of the NBA is Darryn Peterson, who went to the Utah Jazz with the No. 2 overall pick earlier this summer following a season that saw a lot more downs than ups, largely thanks to Peterson’s injury woes.
But what made Peterson’s injury-ridden season that much more of a spectacle is that in the same conference, the eventual No. 1 pick AJ Dybantsa was battling with Peterson to assert himself as the NBA’s most-prized possession.
For the Jayhawks, Peterson averaged 20.2 points per game, along with 4.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.4 steals on 43.8% from the field and 38.2% from three. Peterson did all this on an average of 29 minutes per game across 24 games during the season.
While Peterson was shifted in and out of the lineup, Dybantsa had solidified himself as an ironman of the college game, playing in all 35 games of BYU’s season, while averaging 25.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists, on a 51.0% field goal rate and a 33.1% mark from beyond the arc.
Michael C.Wright and several NBA insiders recently cast their votes on several different NBA topics around the game’s newest incomers and when the question “Who is most likely to make an All-NBA team first?” came up, Peterson was selected second on the list, behind only Cameron Boozer of the Memphis Grizzlies, who went with the No. 3 pick.
“Opportunity and supporting casts likely play major roles in No. 2 pick Peterson and third selection Boozer snatching the most votes in this forecast. Peterson played in five games during summer league, averaging 20.7 points, four assists, one steal and 1.3 blocks. As part of a starting lineup that features [Keyonte] George, [Lauri] Markkanen and [Jaren] Jackson with -- more importantly -- the green light to compete and not tank, Peterson will shine on both ends of the floor playing for a demanding coach in Hardy. But, like any rookie on a bottom-tier team, he'll also fight through some growing pains.”
Peterson couldn’t capitalize on the college hype like Dybantsa could
The two did meet once last season, which was a perfect encapsulation of the two squads. Peterson totaled a stellar first half, going for 18 points and 6-8 from the field, but hardly saw the court in the second, with the Jayhawks opening the second period with a 53-33 lead.
Yet Dybantsa ended the night with 17 points on 6-12 from the field, as he and guard Richie Saunders, who scored 33 of his own points, helped create a second-half charge that came up eight points short in the end.
By the time the draft came around, while you would be splitting hairs to figure out who was the better player of the two, Dybantsa had the better season overall and was a much better stylistic fit for the Wizards than Peterson.
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