Nets Prospect Watch: What to Expect from Darryn Peterson at Kansas

When Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self sat down in an interview with CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein to talk about the upcoming college basketball season, all that could be discussed was Darryn Peterson. When talking about the great first-year players in his time with the Kansas Jayhawks, Self believes none will have to do the job Peterson is tasked with this season.

"[He is} probably as a good a player that I've ever coached, and the best freshman I've ever recruited," Self said.

"If there was one player, past or present, that Darryn Peterson most reminded Bill Self of, who would it be?" Rothstein asked.

"I would think, as a freshman coming in with the ability to put a team on his back, I'll be honest, I don't know that I've had one. We didn't ask [Andrew Wiggins] to do that as a freshman. [Joel] Embiid didn't do that.

"With this particular roster, let's just call it like it is: Darryn needs to be the guy. And if he's that guy, then he'll put up numbers that are as good as anybody we've had here."

That's just the kind of hype Peterson is receiving entering the 2025-26 college basketball season. It's fair to say that any newcomer to a Blue Blood program like Kansas would be heavily talked about, but for one of the top players in this year's high school class, and a potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, expect a lot out of the 6-foot-5 star.

Coming out of Prolific Prep, Peterson has been debated with AJ Dybantsa about who the best high school player in the country was. The top two rankings have been different on most recruiting sites, but what can be agreed upon is that both will also be competing for the best freshman in the nation and the No. 1 pick in June.

Peterson has all the tools to be successful for the Jayhawks this year. He's an athletic scorer with two-way prowess due to a 6-foot-10 wingspan. The 18-year-old can not only score at all three levels, but can also create for his teammates with a high IQ. Peterson is quite literally a do-it-all guard, which is why Self will command a lot out of the freshman.

Kansas is projected to be as great as, say, BYU or Houston. However, the program has the potential to be great. It starts with Peterson and ends with how his group will help him, as Self mentioned in the interview with Rothstein.

While four of the five projected starters are new and exciting, the Jayhawks don't necessarily have a second star next to the top freshman. This means more touches and opportunities for Peterson, which could boost his draft stock and solidify him as the No. 1 pick. That is, if he plays up to par.

The Brooklyn Nets could use Peterson as a franchise combo guard, especially with the future of Cam Thomas still up in the air. The Ohio native is more of a playmaker and efficient scorer, but of course, this is on two different levels. If Peterson can live up to the hype, the Nets have all the more reason to gun for a top pick amid their rebuild.