Star Kansas freshman Darryn Peterson has had a tumultuous season. On the one hand, he’s been tabbed all year long as a top pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, but on the other, he never seemed like someone the Jayhawks could totally count on, whether it was due to his lack of availability or his tendency to blend in when Bill Self needed him to stand out.
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Peterson and the Jayhawks were eliminated from the NCAA Tournament by St. John’s yesterday, and the game was emblematic of the Peterson experience. He led all scorers with 21 points, and he hit two free throws with 13 seconds left to tie the game. Still, it felt like he could have done more to get Kansas into the Sweet Sixteen.
When Red Storm guard Dylan Darling beat the Jayhawks and the buzzer with a driving layup, it effectively ended Peterson’s collegiate career. Now he’ll have to wait three months to hear his name called by Adam Silver in the NBA Draft, and ESPN’s Seth Greenberg believes he shouldn’t go number one.
“He’s an incredible talent,” Greenberg said. “He’s an incredible prospect. Having said that, in that game, on that stage, against that team, I wanted him to go all Darius Acuff Jr. I wanted him to take over the game. [Shooting] 5-15 wasn’t efficient. To me, sometimes he just disappeared in the game.”
In fairness to Peterson, St. John’s plays outstanding defense, and they worked to make his life difficult all night. Greenberg referenced Acuff, the star point guard from Arkansas who will be competing with Peterson to become a top pick. Acuff has left his mark and then some in the tournament, scoring 60 points in two games while drawing raves from Allen Iverson and leading the Razorbacks to the Sweet Sixteen with a gritty win over High Point.
BYU’s AJ Dybantsa is the likely number one pick, and although his BYU Cougars were eliminated in their first game, Dybantsa did everything he could do in scoring 35 points against Texas. By comparison, Peterson made his mark with 28 against Cal Baptist in the first round, but as the Lancers mounted a furious comeback in the final minutes, Peterson didn’t even attempt another shot.
This is a historically good freshman class, and although Peterson has all the tools to be great, Greenberg doesn’t put him on the same level as some of his peers. “The guy is a ridiculous shot-maker,” he said. “He can do it all — he can catch it and attack the basket. He has a middle game. He shoots the 3. But he doesn’t work as hard as he needs to work to get freed up.”
“Darryn Peterson — special talent,” he continued, “but in that environment, in that game, a game you must win against St. John’s, you need to take over the game, you need to have that mentality like Acuff had the other night, and I just did not see that, and that is my concern for Peterson. And that’s why I would not take him number one.”
In many other years, Peterson probably would be the number one pick due to his sheer talent alone. There are several potential franchise cornerstones in this draft, though, which makes his flaws stand out even more. Does he want to be the guy? Can teams count on him to be on the court and give it his all in every game? These are the questions teams will ask once the draft order is set. The answers they get, and whether they believe them, will make all the difference.
