Famous sports analyst Skip Bayless has weighed in on the discussion regarding who should truly be the first pick in this year’s NBA Draft. The order for the 2026 draft was recently determined during the lottery on Sunday, May 10, held at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago, Illinois. The first overall pick then fell to the Washington Wizards under coach Brian Keefe.
According to Bayless, through a post on X/Twitter, the Wizards should take a gamble on Kansas Jayhawks star Darryn Peterson over his rivals, BYU Cougars swingman AJ Dybantsa and Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer. For Bayless, the pros of picking Peterson outweigh the cons, as he is better suited for the professional level than for college basketball, given his immense talent.
“Gut feeling: Wizards should plunge on Darryn Peterson, highest risk, highest reward. Highest talent with some George Pickens in him, some inexplicable. Not buying the Creatine excuse. But better built for pro than college basketball in small-town Kansas,” Bayless wrote.
Bayless’ opinion on the first pick discussion matters given that he is one of the most well-known analysts that cover the NBA. Still, Peterson’s struggles with injuries and conditioning during his one-and-done year with the Jayhawks shouldn’t be overlooked as it limited him to just 24 games played. Fortunately though, Peterson’s health may have stabilized in the latter half of the 2025-26 season as he ended the year with seven straight games.
Ultimately, Peterson is still one of the most highly-touted prospects coming out of class of 2026. The first round of the draft is scheduled on June 23, and will likely be a toss up between him, Dybantsa and Boozer for the first overall pick.
Skip Bayless compared Darryn Peterson to Darius Acuff Jr. as another potential lottery pick
Another projected lottery pick in the 2026 NBA Draft is Arkansas Razorbacks guard Darius Acuff Jr., who, according to Skip Bayless, will be the steal of the draft if he gets picked after the top five. Despite not being able to possess the height or length of Darryn Peterson, Bayless said on X/Twitter that Acuff’s intangibles and willpower alone will help him in the NBA.
“Darius Acuff Jr. will be the steal of this draft if he falls to 6 or 7. Doesn’t have Peterson’s height or length but extreme intangibles and willpower,” Bayless shared.
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