Darryn Peterson Injury Concerns Not Yet Affecting NBA Draft Stock

Darryn Peterson's complicated injury situation has not damaged his standing among NBA teams ahead of the 2026 draft. Five NBA executives and scouts that spoke with Sam Vecenie of The Athletic indicated the Kansas guard remains a top-three prospect despite missing time and dealing with various leg issues throughout the season. Teams plan to closely examine medical results during the pre-draft process before making final evaluations.

Peterson's injury has become one of the critical talking points of the college basketball season. The classification of the ailment has changed multiple times since the year began. Kansas coach Bill Self has described it variously as a hamstring injury, quad cramping and a minutes restriction at different points.

Peterson struggled late in Kansas' December 13 game against NC State with what Self called quad cramping. He returned against UCF on Saturday and scored 26 points in 23 minutes before sitting out the final 11 minutes. Self said after the game Peterson was on a minutes restriction.

On Monday, Self said Peterson's legs would not let him play longer. Peterson then scored 32 points against TCU on Tuesday night but sat out the overtime period. Self attributed the absence to cramping.

When Peterson has played, he has dominated as a perimeter scorer. He has not shown the same explosiveness getting to the rim that he displayed in high school. The Kansas freshman has not appeared to be at full health all season.

NBA teams will rely on mandatory medical examinations under the new collective bargaining agreement to determine if any long-term concerns exist. Results for prospects expected to go in the top-10 are distributed only to teams picking in that range. Teams at the top of the draft order will examine Peterson's medical information closely.

"The good news is that we don't have to make this decision now," said one front office executive granted anonymity because he is not authorized to speak publicly about draft prospects. "We'll find out the information that matters on his leg at the combine and go from there. With scouting him, I'd love to see Peterson play. In the end, if he ends up not playing enough, it might result in the team at No. 1 feeling more comfortable with one of the other two guys at the top from a safety perspective. I can't speak for everyone, but I have seen enough from Peterson both at the high school level and in college to feel comfortable that he's at least a top-three player in the class as long as his medical comes back clean long-term."

NBA teams are not under the impression that anything questionable is happening with Peterson's situation. Self has been adamant that there has been no discussion of Peterson shutting down for the season to preserve his draft stock.

The injury situation has raised questions for scouts to investigate once Peterson enters the pre-draft process. The overall impression from NBA decision makers remains that Peterson's stock has held steady despite the complications.