This debate is not going away anytime soon. Darryn Peterson was the projected number-one pick for the majority of the 2025-26 college basketball season, but A.J. Dybantsa's strong finish combined with Peterson's injury concerns ultimately shifted the consensus — and Dybantsa heard his name called first on draft night.
Peterson had an up-and-down freshman season at Kansas, but the numbers were still impressive: 20.2 points, 4.2 rebounds per game, and 38.2% shooting from three. In a world increasingly driven by analytics, Peterson is the rare prospect who transcends the spreadsheet. The 6'5" guard is a pure hooper with elite size, athleticism, and a scoring instinct that cannot be taught. More than a few analysts have drawn comparisons to the late Kobe Bryant — and those comparisons do not feel like a stretch when you watch him play.
So what went wrong at Kansas? A nagging hamstring issue caused Peterson to miss games and exit others early — not something you want to see from a 19-year-old who was supposed to be the best player in the country. He ultimately missed 11 games on the season. To his credit, Peterson showed up for several key games down the stretch, but the availability concerns were impossible to ignore heading into draft evaluations.
It was later discovered that the root cause of the cramping was creatine. That may sound surprising at first, but it makes complete sense medically. Doctors reported that Peterson had elevated baseline creatine levels and was also taking it as a performance supplement — a combination that is well known to cause dehydration and, in turn, cramping. Once that context came to light, the injury concerns became far less alarming.
And Peterson has wasted no time making that point on the court. Just two games into NBA Summer League, he looks like a man on a mission. In game one against Atlanta, Peterson had 28 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and added 2 steals. He followed that up with 25 points and 12 assists in game two. Through two games, he is shooting 53% from the field and 44% from three.
The skillset has never been in question. Peterson's ability to score at all three levels is as good as anyone in this draft class, and players of his caliber tend to thrive even more at the NBA level where spacing opens up and shot creation is valued above all else. The Utah Jazz have found their cornerstone, and the Washington Wizards will be just fine with Dybantsa — but based on everything we have seen, Darryn Peterson probably should have been the first name called on draft night. The good news is, the debate is about to get a whole lot more interesting. Peterson and Dybantsa are set to square off this Thursday night in Las Vegas for Summer League — and that is must-watch basketball.
