LAWRENCE - Darryn Peterson's presence on the court has been a hot topic lately, despite his recent appearances in a couple of key games. The buzz around his availability hasn't quieted down, especially after Kansas' recent home loss to Cincinnati, where Peterson put up 17 points, grabbed four rebounds, and dished out an assist.
Things looked a bit brighter when Kansas snagged a win against No. 4 Houston, with Peterson contributing 14 points, four rebounds, and an assist.
However, his season has been marred by absences, as he's missed 11 games for No. 14 Kansas, who stand at 21-7 overall and 11-4 in Big 12 play.
Kansas coach Bill Self didn't shy away from addressing the chatter during his "Hawk Talk with Bill Self" show, which aired after the victory over Houston. With a challenging road game against No. 2 Arizona looming, Self shared some insights on Peterson's journey.
"I think he’s been OK," Self remarked. "I love Darryn, but I don’t think that he’s played as well the last two games as what he was playing before.
Does he have it in him to do that? Yeah.
It’s just, there’s a lot of stuff thrown at him. Can you imagine being a freshman in college and having ESPN ‘First Take’ talk about you, and you never, ever, say a word about defending yourself.
Everyone just talks about you. And that’s hard.
It’s hard. He’s actually done a really nice job in trying to eliminate those distractions, but you know it’s hard."
Self has often stood up for Peterson, though he acknowledges that some folks might be weary of hearing it. The coach emphasized that Peterson has faced challenges that many don't understand, leading to opinions formed without the full picture. According to Self, the best way for Peterson to handle the scrutiny is by maintaining consistent performance on the court.
This season, Peterson is averaging an impressive 19.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game over 17 starts. Most of his missed games came during non-conference play. For Kansas to reach its full potential and for the national conversation to perhaps simmer down, Peterson needs to keep delivering and live up to the hype of being a potential No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.