You can not realistically believe that the Kansas Jayhawks are not one of the nation’s blue bloods. Their 2453-920 record since 1898, four NCAA Championships, 64 conference titles and 894 weeks ranked inside the AP top 25 speak for themselves.
However, if there was one, just one slight knock you could give to the Jayhawks, it is the number of No. 1 picks they have produced. Kansas has got1988’s Danny Manning and 2014’s Andrew Wiggins. Once again, to try and use this as something to beat KU up with is, at the very best, unreasonable, but in a world where these universities have to try and pip one another for the nation’s top talent through both the high school and NCAA Transfer Portal ranks, anywhere there appears to be a slip-up will be mentioned.
In all likelihood, it will take the Jayhawks decades to reach the Duke Blue Devils, who currently stand at six; however, the Kentucky Wildcats are the only team in the nation with three, so if KU can catch up to them, their record looks a lot stronger.
The Jayhawks have a great chance at a No. 1 pick later this month
This is where Darryn Peterson comes in.
Did Darryn Peterson exude No. 1 pick quality wire-to-wire? No. Injuries and on-court cohesion issues caused both Peterson and the Jayhawks to finish without making it past the first weekend in March for the fourth time in as many years.
But when Peterson was playing fully healthy on the hardwood, there was no question he was the nation’s most talented player. His insanely smooth jumper makes the average Joe feel like a three-pointer from the top of the arc is a layup, his elite defensive IQ created several smart steals, and his knack for attacking low, arching shots allowed for an elite number of blocks for someone who stood at just 6-foot-4.
However, across the Big 12 stands a daunting AJ Dybantsa, who sky-rocketed up draft boards, nearly becoming the guaranteed No. 1 pick by the time the season had wrapped up. However, Jeremy Woo of ESPN has shed some light on the current situation regarding whether Dybantsa or Peterson is more likely to be the top pick in just under a week.
An On3 article detailed a recent conversation Woo had on ESPN’s SportsCenter.
“The Wizards are narrowing down their choice here to two players: AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson,” Woo said on SportsCenter. “The strategy here is interesting. Darryn Peterson will only visit the Wizards. He’s not planning to go anywhere else. He’s putting himself in position to go No. 1, he’s trying to help the Wizards feel comfortable with him as a candidate after his weird year at Kansas.”
Overall, Peterson played just 24 games with the Jayhawks, where he averaged 20.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists on a strong 43.8% field goal rate, which fell as the season reached its end.
“Now, Dybantsa, also very much in the mix. He went to Washington and Utah. He’s a candidate in both spots.”
Dybantsa finished his sole season with the Cougars averaging a nation-leading 25.5 points per game, to go with 6.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists on a 51% field goal rate.
“The Wizards have a tough call to make. I think we’ll see where they land on Tuesday, but they’ve been very, very radio silent of Washington. It’s kind of the big mystery out of the league right now is which direction they’re going to go.”
No matter who the Wizards go to, they are landing a franchise player; however, while Peterson underwhelmed in comparison to Dybantsa on the college level, Peterson has shown through the high school and college ranks that he has All-NBA potential, which is why even a season like last year’s hasn’t fully knocked him off the No. 1 pick perch it would have done to so many others.
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