Kansas is one of the most talented teams in the country, but it’s been an up-and-down year for the Jayhawks. Bill Self’s group finished 23-10 and in a three-way tie for third in the Big 12, and they come into the NCAA Tournament losers of five of their last nine games.
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The Jayhawks were fortunate to get a 4-seed in the Big Dance, and they’ll begin their run Friday night against Cal Baptist. It’s a daunting road ahead though, as they could have to face Rick Pitino and St. John’s in the Round of 32, then top overall seed Duke in the Sweet Sixteen.
Much of Kansas’ inconsistency this year can be traced back to freshman Darryn Peterson. The uber-talented guard is considered a lock to be a top-three pick in this June’s NBA Draft, but he’s had a strange season. He’s taken himself out of games, he’s sat out other ones with flimsy reasons, and though he’s been phenomenal when he does play, the Jayhawks just haven’t been able to count on him night in and night out.
NBA teams will be closely watching what Peterson does in the tournament, and as he said on this morning’s First Take, Stephen A. Smith is pulling for him to come through.
“I’m definitely rooting for him,” he said. “If Darryn Peterson’s watching, I want this brother to go out there and show us how all-world he is on the biggest stage. That’s what I want, because you know what, as great as he has been in moments this year, we haven’t seen that from him consistently. We haven’t seen that,” the NBA analyst added on a disappointing note.
Whichever team drafts Peterson will be doing so with the hopes that he can become an elite combo guard and the face of their franchise, someone like Donovan Mitchell is for the Cavs. Whereas Mitchell has played in 61 games thus far for a total of 2,043 minutes, though, Peterson has only played in 22 games for a total of 624 minutes. That could scare teams off.
“When we talk about the great ones,” Stephen A. said, “whether it’s the Kobes, the MJs, the LeBrons, and everybody in between, the Kevin Durants, we have to make sure we give credit where credit is due, and Steph Curry as well, is the models of consistency that they have been. That their work ethic is never questioned.”
“That we know that they’re putting in the time, because they accept the fact that they’re the marquee, and they want to be great. It’s not enough for them just to be alright. They want to be great. They accept the responsibility. That is what the face of a franchise is supposed to be made of,” Smith argued.
There have been many talented players who have fallen short of that standard, even guys who were selected with the number one pick. Ben Simmons comes to mind. So does Zion Williamson. Joel Embiid, a fellow Jayhawk, went third and has been one of the best players in the league at times, but throughout his career, he too has struggled to stay on the court.
Now would be a great time for Peterson to prove that he deserves to be a top pick, and that he’s ready to be the face of an NBA franchise. Both St. John’s and Duke are tough, smart, physical defensive teams. They’ll beat Peterson up and make him work for everything. Will he be up to the challenge? If he gets past them, it won’t get any easier, as he’ll probably have to face a team like UConn or Michigan State.
Perhaps no player in the tournament can help or hurt his stock more than Peterson in the coming days. There have been times this season when he’s been considered the favorite to be the No. 1 pick, but with so much talent set to enter the draft, there are several guys who could easily pass him. Stephen A. told him last month that his actions speak louder than his words. Now’s the time to show it.
