"Those deeply invested in either this Jayhawks season or Peterson's NBA future might find themselves close-reading the cryptic remarks of Kansas head coach Bill Self and watching the superstar guard abruptly disappear from competitive games. Skeptical and angry fans have circulated images of a benched Peterson sitting on a chair, a supposed symbol of his aloofness from the team. The obvious context is that Peterson, a 6-foot-6 combo guard with outlandishly pure ball skills, is just a few months out from earning generational wealth."
"Peterson has appeared in six of the Jayhawks' 15 games to date,two of them within the past week. Self has said that his star player already had a hamstring injury going into the college season. Peterson appeared in the team's first two games, then missed seven games across November, with the absences attributed to the balky hamstring. He returned to play two games in December, only to be shut down again; Self said the issue was "quad cramping," distinguishing it from the hamstring."
"On Dec. 23, Self said Peterson's family had "made a decision, which I don't disagree with it at all, that they want him to be as close to 100 percent as possible when he comes back." On Jan. 1, the coach said that the freshman was at "a little bit of a different level now as far as his explosiveness." Peterson has been back on the floor for two games in January, but under what Self has deemed a "minutes restriction.""
Darryn Peterson, a 6-foot-6 freshman and top 2026 NBA prospect, has missed significant Kansas playing time due to recurring lower-body issues. He has played six of 15 games, appearing early, missing seven in November for a hamstring problem, returning briefly in December before being shut down with 'quad cramping.' Coach Bill Self said Peterson's family opted to prioritize near-100 percent recovery before return, and Self noted improved explosiveness when reintegrated. Peterson has returned for limited minutes under an unspecified 'minutes restriction.' The team reports no clear medical threshold dictating exact playing time, leaving minutes determination unclear.
Read at Defector
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]