Kansas beat Oklahoma State 81-69 on Wednesday night, and no one seems to be talking about the Jayhawks getting a solid win over a sneaky Cowboys team, but instead about yet another game involving a Darryn Peterson injury.
One of the biggest problems for Peterson this season has been the cramping, an issue that has forced him out of games early, especially after a stellar first half. The same happened against Oklahoma State as Peterson scored 20 points in the first half and then, after his lone three-pointer in the second half, looked to Bill Self and subbed himself out for what would be the rest of the game.
When Peterson hit his sixth three-pointer of the night, he immediately turned to Self and pulled himself out of the game, and this video below is a new angle of what happened, and it isn't a good look for the star freshman.
Bill Self on Darryn Peterson checking himself out:
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) February 19, 2026
“We've had this happen more than a couple of times. I thought he was good to go. We only got 18 minutes out of him. That's disappointing, because he could've had a really big night.”
(via @TheFieldOf68)pic.twitter.com/8dJ1guefF6
Peterson hits the shot, and in no way does he look like he is struggling with cramping or any other pain issue; it kind of looks like he hit a certain mark in points and was done for the night. IT can even be seen that Self looks noticeably surprised that Peterson was pulling himself out.
While this has been an issue that Peterson has dealt with all season long, it is starting to feel more like an excuse than a real problem. At this point, Kansas can't rely on Peterson for a full game, and the Jayhawks have had to learn how to play without him.
Darryn Peterson could be hurting his draft stock instead of helping it
Many believe that Peterson is pulling himself from games because he doesn't want to make anything worse in terms of hurting his draft stock. An injury could be detrimental to his projected No. 1 overall selection, but the continued cramping isn't something NBA teams are probably happy seeing.
Peterson is also proving he isn't reliable for a team and may not even be a large part of the game plan for Kansas come March. If Peterson can't fully showcase his talents in a full game, an NBA team may choose to pass on him and go for a more proven player on the court.