Darryn Peterson reveals exactly what Kansas fans knew last season

There can be a lot of different ways you look at Darryn Peterson’s sole season with the Kansas Jayhawks.

On one hand, Peterson solidified himself as a likely top-3 selection in the 2026 NBA Draft and had bright moments where his quality was on show. 

Those moments included 12, 20+ point games, a season-high of 32 in a narrow 104-100 win over TCU, and critical late-game shots against the likes of the Horned Frogs and Texas Tech.

Yet, Peterson spent most of the season having to fend off countless questions over his health and passion for the sport.

For what felt like every mind-boggling play on either side of the ball from Peterson came with him having to miss out on stretches of a game at a time, thanks to cramping in other ailments. Peterson spent an average of 29 minutes on the court. For reference, potential first-pick AJ Dybantsa notched 34.5 minutes per game on-court.

Overall, Peterson missed out on 11 of Kansas’ 35 games thanks to cramping, sickness, hamstring tightness, and a sprained ankle.

Peterson gives stinging reminder that he was hardly healthy at KU

One of Peterson’s most intriguing aspects coming out of high school was his insane athleticism. At points, you would see that in his jumper, and his ability to create blocks out of tight situations, but when Peterson was feeling unhealthy, there was a visible notice in how much shorter Peterson jumped and in increased sluggishness in how he moved.

Peterson was asked yesterday at the Draft Combine if he felt back to full health like he once was in high school. 

“Yeah, I'm feeling back at that level now. Obviously, I wasn't where I wanted to be [at Kansas], just what I had going on, but I feel like I'm back at it now.”

When asked what the difference was between his time as a Jayhawk and now entering the NBA, Peterson replied

“Figuring out what it was. That kind of helped my mental as well because when something's wrong, you don't know what it is. It can be rough.” 

ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne interviewed Peterson last week, where Peterson relayed to the nation that the substance Creatine was the cause for his cramping issues, which started in the preseason, but first made their appearance in the public eye during an exhibition against the Louisville Cardinals, where Peterson played one half of breathtaking basketball before missing out nearly the entire second period thanks to the cramps. 

“So, it helped my mental figuring out what it was. And then now, just getting back to it, feeling good.”

So far, the Prolific Prep alum and former No. 1 player in the 2025 class has impressed with recent footage of Peterson going 19-25 from beyond the arc at the combine

While his overall numbers have been mixed, there is no doubt that Peterson is a surefire bet for a spot very high in the first round, whether that be first, second, or third. Most NBA Mock Drafts have BYU’s Dybantsa landing with the Washington Wizards with their first pick, but then send Peterson to an exciting core at the Utah Jazz.

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