Kansas Jayhawks freshman star Darryn Peterson didn’t play in the 82-78 win against No. 1 Arizona Wildcats on Monday. The top NBA prospect was ruled out of the game after the warmups because of illness (flu-related symptoms).
After the game, head coach Bill Self talked about Peterson’s health status coming into this game. The Kansas head coach revealed Peterson didn’t practice the day before the game, but everyone was “hopeful” he would be available for the game against the Wildcats. Moreover, the freshman let the head coach know that it would be a toss-up if he could turn up for the game.
Adding to that, it wasn’t until the warmups were completed that the coaching staff knew that Peterson would not go out.
Despite Peterson’s absence, the Jayhawks registered an important win against the top-ranked team in the nation. They handed Arizona their first loss of the season. Bryson Tiller, Flory Bidunga, Jamari McDowell and Melvin Council Jr. all scored in double digits. Bidunga had 10 rebounds as well.
Darryn Peterson’s NBA Draft Status Remains Undeterred Despite Health Issues Related Absences
Kansas has played 24 games this season and Darryn Peterson has only suited up for 13 games, averaging 20.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game. He has shot 48.9% from the field, including 41.9% from the 3-point line.
Peterson has missed games because of variety of issues. While his latest absence was related to an illness, previously, he missed games because of severe cramping and hamstring issues. This has led many to question whether Peterson’s first overall draft projection would be impacted because of this. An anonymous NBA GM provided clarity on the same, saying:
“I think people are overreacting,” the GM said. “I don’t know if anyone has enough info yet. It’s not that big of a deal to me if he can play the last month of the season. We’ve got guys in the NBA who miss 2 months with a strained hamstring. A lot of guys would have shut him down for the rest of the season already. People have to pump the brakes. People get the flu.
“People also have to remember this is just a small snapshot of his entire career. I think he’s still probably the No. 1 pick, but we’ll see.”
It remains to be seen if Peterson’s repeated absences plays a hand in a downgrade on his draft stock.
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