Jefferson drops the mic on Darrin Peterson’s play no. 1
There was a lot of drama about Kansas basketball program. That drama is going around 2026 NBA Draft No. 1 prospect Darrin Peterson. He has had trouble staying on the field due to what he claims are cramps, among other injuries. Another aspect is that he constantly gets questions about what is actually wrong and whether he is sitting down to avoid injury.
On the latest episode of “NBA Today,” the panel discussed what’s going on with Peterson. Richard Jefferson said yes he doesn’t know 100% what’s going on with Peterson, but despite his undeniable talent, the top pick in the NBA draft needs to be a leader, and it’s questionable whether Peterson fits that role in the draft because of everything that happened during his time with the Jayhawks.
“The No. 1 puck in the NBA draft … that person should be the leader of the franchise, the person you can build around. … Talent is not the only thing they evaluate,” Jefferson said.
To his credit, Peterson spoke candidly about the criticism he’s received and whether he’s received it at all this season as the home game begins.
“It’s kind of normal this year,” Peterson said in Monday night’s postgame press conference after the No. 14 Jayhawks’ 69-56 home win over No. 5 Houston. “Somebody’s had something to say probably after every game this year, so I don’t pay attention to it anymore.”
He has missed 11 of Kansas’ 28 games this season, including an early exit against Oklahoma State on Feb. 18. The former five-star recruit has battled cramping from a lingering hamstring injury all season.
Peterson also later added that he is very quiet“I’ve kind of been an anti-social loner my whole life, so I kind of deal with it on my own.”
When he was available for the Jayhawks, he was amazing. He is averaging 19.9 points with 3.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game on 47.2% shooting. He’s also shooting 40.2% from 3-point range on the year. How he plays for Kansas going into the NCAA tournament will be huge for his NBA draft stock.
2026-02-24 22:37:00
