Yes, we all would have wished that Darryn Peterson had been fully fit throughout the season. He is one of the few players in the country who can make the game look as if any average Joe could succeed. Yet as Peterson’s return continued to get pushed back, and fans had to reschedule their plans to see the former five-star freshman, irritability grew through the fanbase, which is also fair. Yet with conference play set to begin soon, the Jayhawks will hopefully be able to see Peterson be fully fit and a stacked conference schedule.
While Peterson’s stop-and-start college career has ruffled the feathers of some, those in the association are still high on him, and deservedly so.
Peterson has averaged 19.3 points per game, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.8 assists, all while clipping 52.8% of his shots, including a strong 42.3% from beyond the arc.
But beyond all the tangible stats, Peterson’s ability to draw the game to his every dribble is what has made those in the NBA rave over his potential. Peterson can control the tempo of every possession for a team, which head coach Bill Self has lamented over.
According to CBS Sports’ NBA Draft Big Board compiled by Adam Finklestein, Peterson still sits at the No. 1 spot; however, Finklestein warns that with Peterson’s lack of playing time, BYU’s forward AJ Dybantsa and Duke’s forward Cameron Boozer have grown close to Peterson.
Dybantsa currently ranks second in the nation in points per game with 23.1, on an efficient 59.1% field goal rate. Funnily enough, Boozer leads the nation with 23.2 points per game, and follows that up with an even 10 rebounds per game. 2.8 more than Dybantsa. Boozer has finished 56.7% of his shots this season.
All three are soon to begin conference play, with Kansas getting the latest start of them all as they host UCF on January 3rd, with tipoff set for 1 p.m CT, 30 minutes after Dybantsa and three days after Boozer. Streaming is available on Peacock.
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