When on the court, Darryn Peterson has electrified the nation, and this season, the five-star freshman has solidified himself as one of the top picks in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Yet Kansas has had to deal with Peterson off the court more than him on it. The former No. 1 recruit has only seen the hardwood three times this season. Peterson saw action in a season-opening win against the Green Bay Phoenix with a 94-51 win and the next game, an 87-74 loss to the No. 19 UNC Tar Heels. Following that, Peterson was diagnosed with hamstring tightness that saw him miss until the Jayhawks took on the Missouri Tigers in a massive 80-60 win last Sunday.
In Peterson’s return, the guard notched 17 points on 6-14 shooting with three rebounds, one assist, and one steal.
Peterson had continued his high-level play with another 17 points, including 12 in the second half in Kansas’ 77-76 overtime win
The problem? Prior to overtime, Peterson came off with another injury as he grimaced and pointed towards his leg.
After the game, Kansas head coach Bill Self spoke on the injury.
Self said he thought Peterson was "getting tight" in his hamstring.
— Henry Greenstein (@HenryGreenstein) December 14, 2025
"He said he needed to come out. He's experienced this every game that we played. I was happy that he got that far, that deep into the game."
Leading Kansas on Saturday night was the breakout performance of Melvin Council Jr.
Council lit up the scoreboard with a monster 36 points on an insane 9-15 three-point mark.
The question now becomes whether or not Peterson will be available as Kansas finishes its out-of-conference portion with Towson and Davidson left on the schedule. Yet, Self's comments seem relaxed about the future of Peterson, which hopefully means he will be back on the court immediately.