Steven A. Smith says what everyone won't about Darryn Peterson's NBA future

Darryn Peterson is a generational talent on the basketball court, and the Kansas Jayhawks were lucky to have landed his commitment in high school. Peterson was projected to be the top player in college basketball this season and is still being looked at as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

However, things have been very different for the star guard in his freshman season. Peterson dealt with a hamstring injury in November that kept him out of the lineup for a lengthy time. When that was under control, the cramping issue began to arise, as well as an ankle sprain and flu-like symptoms that kept him out of a couple of games.

While the ankle and the hamstring have been dealt with, the cramping seems to be a lingering issue. It seems that Peterson will play a stellar first half and then only a few minutes in the second half before pulling himself out of the game. Out of 26 games this season, Peterson has only played in 15 and played over 25 minutes in only 8 of those games.

Peterson has proven he can't be reliable with his availability, and many sports personalities and former basketball legends are saying what everyone is saying. First Take's Stephen A. Smith said the one thing that no one else has dared to say.

"There is no team in hell that should grab Darryn Peterson at No. 1," Smith said.

Smith understands what teams are seeing in Peterson when it comes to his talent. He is averaging over 20 points a game, even without playing in all of them. Peterson has shown he can make the clutch plays when it matters most adn he is on the court. However, he can't be relied to even always be on the court when it matters most.

"This is business, I can't trust him," Smith said. "[Peterson] cannot be trusted"

Darryn Peterson already dealing with load management is not a good look

There are roughly over 30 games in a college basketball regular season. When you add in conference tournaments and the full NCAA Tournament games, it is over 40 games played in a season. The NBA regular season is 82 games, and that doesn't even include the playoffs.

It is common for certain players to worry about load management in the NBA, which is resting star players at certain points to help with fatigue and prevent injuries. Peterson is already doing that as a freshman in college, and he hasn't even played in 20 games this season for Kansas. That is not a good look for a freshman in college.

Smith even acknowledged that when speaking on the Peterson issues.

"You [Peterson] are a freshman in college and you already engaging in load management," Smith said. "It don't get better [in the NBA], how can I trust you, how can I invest in you?"

Peterson isn't doing himself any favors if he continues to pull himself out of games early for the cramping issue. Other freshmen that are projected top picks, like BYU's AJ Dybantsa, Duke's Cameron Boozer, and UNC's Caleb Wilson, are putting in the work each game and could easily begin to move ahead of Peterson in the draft.