AJ Dybantsa Says He'll Play Every Minute If Needed as Fans Troll Darryn Peterson After Viral Comment

BYU freshman star AJ Dybantsa isn't putting himself on a minutes restriction as the Cougars attempt to close the regular season strong fashion.

Dybantsa went the distance in Saturday's 79-69 upset of No. 6 Iowa State, nearly finishing with a triple-double (29 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists). After the game, he told reporters he's prepared to maintain a heavy workload.

"If they need me to play 40 minutes, I'll play 40 minutes," he said.

When they're both candidates to be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA draft, the contrast between Dybantsa's usage and that of Kansas star Darryn Peterson is inescapable.

Dybansta is playing an average of 33.7 minutes per game, and he has gone 40-plus in three of BYU's last four contests.

Peterson is logging 27.2 minutes per night but has only stepped onto the floor 16 times. He has been dogged by minor injuries and missed the Jayhawks' 82-78 win over Arizona because of flu-like symptoms.

Kansas coach Bill Self has gone to bat for the freshman guard and tried to dispel the more negative narratives around him. Still, the Jayhawks standout has received some sharp critiques.

Peterson's talent and athleticism are immediately clear to anybody who watches him play, and that might outweigh everything else from the perspective of the draft.

Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman projected Peterson and Dybantsa to go first and second in his most recent mock draft.

"Confusion or frustration over Darryn Peterson's minutes and absences still aren't setting off alarms," Wasserman wrote. "Durability and competitiveness have become talking points, but it doesn't sound like they're changing the minds of most who had him No. 1 to start the year."

The extent to which Dybantsa has been a workhorse for BYU will likely be a mark in his favor, though, when NBA talent evaluators are making their final assessments.