“If Dybantsa goes No. 1 to Washington, Utah will have an interesting decision to make. And spoiler alert: It's not as clear-cut as people may think,” writes Cameron Salerno of CBS Sports in his latest article titled “2026 NBA Draft: Options, odds, predictions and most likely selection for every team picking in top 10.”
Darryn Peterson is in a weird place right now. Depending on who you ask, Peterson can go anywhere from No. 1 to No. 3. Each place has its own pros and cons for the former five-star. While Salerno does select Dybantsa to go No. 1 overall to the Washington Wizards, what happens after that is a mess.
Peterson could quickly become a steal in this year's draft
“There is a strong case for Peterson to be the pick here. Like I've said before, I believe Peterson is the best player in the class,” quotes Salerno when discussing the Utah Jazz No. 2 pick.
At Kansas, while injury hampered Peterson’s sole season with the Jayhawks, his ability was off the charts. Once you separated what a healthy vs unhealthy Peterson looked like, you could begin to imagine that if Peterson gets his cramping issues handled, the sky is the limit.
Last season, Peterson averaged 20.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists on a decent 43.8% from the field, on just 29 minutes per game. Peterson also showed an ability to handle clutch moments in wins against both TCU and Texas Tech with the game on the line; Peterson pushed KU to prevail.
However, despite the talent on show with the Jayhawks, the fact that those health issues are still lingering opens the door for the Jazz to go elsewhere.
“However, my prediction is the Jazz will take Boozer at No. 2. Boozer currently has the second-best odds to be selected. The fit would be interesting because of Utah's frontcourt depth. However, if Utah thinks he's the BPA, it would make sense to make him the pick and figure out the fit later.”
Boozer is by no means a slouch. In his freshman season, Boozer averaged 22.5 points per game, along with 10.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.4 steals, winning the prestigious Wooden Award.
Fans should have been able to see the two go head-to-head when the Jayhawks met the Blue Devils in the State Farm Champions Classic; however, Peterson was ruled out, as Duke broke the game open in the final five minutes to win 78-66.
Peterson could be on track to become the face of the Grizzlies
With Dybantsa landing No. 1 and Boozer going No. 2, Memphis may be handed their star of the future. With the future of former Murray State star Ja Morant up in the air, if Peterson were to land in Tennessee, there is a very good chance he may have the keys to the franchise.
Last year, the Grizzlies had 10 players average double-digit points, with Ty Jerome leading the charge at 19.7 points per game. Decent, but especially without Morant, there is a real need for a budding star to combine with the likes of Zach Edey. While Memphis won’t jump out as a playoff contender in year one, under the right tutelage, there could be potential for future success.
More Kansas Basketball News
Add us as a preferred source on Google