Darryn Peterson Situation 'Was Weird,' Says Coach as Scout Compares Kansas SG to Kawhi, Paul George

Less than a week out from the 2026 NBA draft, Kansas star Darryn Peterson continues to generate a wide range of reactions from people around the game.

Nobody doubts Peterson's talent after he averaged 20.2 points and shot 43.8 percent from the field, including 38.2 percent from beyond the arc, with the Jayhawks.

But one college coach told The Athletic's David Aldridge that "that thing this year was weird" with the dynamic guard.

"It shocked me. Because it had never been that," the coach said. "Like, in high school, he didn't duck any smoke. From afar, it was shocking to see that stuff."

One scout for an Eastern Conference team described "some diva-ness" with Peterson that's concerning.

"I think you're getting kind of a glimpse of who he's going to be," they said. "More like Paul George or Kawhi, where if it's not healed, he's not playing. That's just the way I look at it."

The scout was also puzzled by Peterson's explanation that his cramping issues at Kansas stemmed from creatine usage.

"I mean, I took creatine. I don't think that was it," they said. "He could have had a reaction to it. And if it was that, you would know that instantly."

The assessments weren't all negative.

A different East scout said Peterson has a higher floor than BYU forward AJ Dybantsa and could be as good as peak Klay Thompson.

Darryn Peterson Highlights

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"He's really, really good," they told Aldridge. "I went to a few practices, and he's as good as any college player I've seen. It wasn't like it was a bunch of first-round picks around him, like if he was at Duke. … His high school team was the same way — it wasn't great."

One college assistant, whose team played Kansas, was a little split on Peterson. They said they "love his demeanor," and he was mentally "locked in" early into the game. Once the momentum starting swinging against the Jayhawks, though, something changed.

"There wasn't a lot of fight from him, which I was a little surprised with," the assistant said. "When we played BYU, the skill (from Dybantsa) was there, but I was like, 'This guy's competitive.' I didn't get that from Peterson."

Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman projects Peterson to go No. 2 to the Utah Jazz, which seems to be the majority opinion.

However, he declined to work out for Utah, and The Athletic's Tony Jones the Jazz are "genuinely torn" between taking him, Dybantsa or Duke forward Cameron Boozer depending on who's available.

With Trae Young declining his player option with the Washington Wizards, per ESPN's Marc J. Spears, there could be a void in their backcourt that Peterson would address.

Wherever he lands, he's likely to be the most followed prospect from the 2026 class because of the variance for his boom or bust potential.