After early-season injuries and mysterious cramping issues, it appeared that Darryn Peterson was slowly becoming a mainstay in Bill Self’s lineup. Then, minutes before No. 9 Kansas’s showdown with No. 1 Arizona on Monday night at Phog Allen Fieldhouse, news broke that the five-star freshman would be sidelined with the flu.
Even without Peterson, the Jayhawks managed to dethrone the unbeaten Wildcats 82-78 behind 23 points and 10 rebounds from Flory Bidunga and a comprehensive outing from Melvin Council Jr. However, Kansas fans and college basketball fans at large are growing increasingly concerned about Peterson’s unreliability in what is certainly his lone season of college basketball. NBA evaluators, though, remain undaunted.
Here’s what one NBA general manager told Jeff Goodman of The Field of 68:
One NBA GM to @TheFieldOf68 about Darryn Peterson:
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) February 10, 2026
"I think people are overreacting. I don't know if anyone has enough info yet. It's not that big of a deal to me if he can play the last month of the season. We've got guys in the NBA who miss 2 months with a strained hamstring.…
NBA evaluators aren’t worried about Peterson’s missed games and Kansas fans shouldn’t be either
NBA players miss games for much less than the flu, so while Peterson’s freshman season has been frustrating with all the missed time, most NBA teams wouldn’t blink when presented with the opportunity to draft him early in the first round this summer.
Now, obviously, the calculus is different for a Kansas fan. The Jayhawks have Peterson for only one season, and considering the team just handed Arizona its first loss without him on the floor, the ceiling for Bill Self’s team is another national championship. So, understandably, fans are eager to see their superstar healthy for an extended stretch.
Yet, sometimes it’s worthwhile to take a bit more of an NBA perspective on the college basketball season. Every loss seems magnified when there are only 30 games, but ultimately, Kansas is locked into the NCAA Tournament, and once you get into the field, anything can happen. Especially in a single elimination format.
From that perspective, all that matters is Peterson’s ankle injuries and cramping issues, and even his recent illness hasn’t shut him down for good, so Kansas still has a chance to reach its ceiling in March. With how well the team played on Monday night, the Jayhawks may have a similar ceiling without Peterson.
As for fans and media ding Peterson’s draft stock after his latest disappearing act, that’s an even more ridiculous overreaction. In a head-to-head with AJ Dybantsa, he proved that he is the most dominant prospect in this class. All that matters is swinging for the highest possible upside because who knows which players are going to be injury-prone throughout their NBA careers.
Peterson is the best player in the freshman class and might be the best player in the entire country. He’ll be back on the court for Kansas soon, and all will be right in Lawrence.