The Sacramento Kings are hoping to land the top pick in this summer’s NBA Draft, and many mock drafts think Kansas guard Darryn Peterson will be the first player to have his name called.
Peterson, a freshman guard for the Kansas Jayhawks, has looked every bit the part of a top NBA prospect when on the floor–key words, when on the floor.
Over 16 games this season, the 6’6 guard holds averages of 19.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.2 steals on 48/41/79 shooting splits.
More on NBA prospect Darryn Peterson
Darryn Peterson has all of the makings of a pure scorer at the top level, but the question marks surrounding the freshman have little to do with his on-court production.
Although the high-scoring guard has turned heads during his 18 games this season, the 11 games he has missed are beginning to raise questions about his overall draft stock and buy-in as March Madness approaches.
The 14th-ranked Jayhawks are 9-2 without Peterson, another interesting wrinkle for a Kansas team looking to get back on track after losing two of its past three games.
Peterson has missed games for an assortment of reasons this season: Flu-like symptoms, ankle injuries, a hamstring injury, and cramping.
In an interview with ESPN’s Myron Medcalf, the projected top NBA Draft pick gave his own thoughts on his lack of availability:
“Everybody’s got an opinion on it,” Peterson told ESPN last week. “But basketball is my life. If I could have been out there every game this year, I would have. If you would have asked me last year, what were my goals for this year, I would never mention missing games. So all this stuff kind of just happened, but I’ve got to deal with it.”
Being unavailable hasn’t just frustrated Peterson. It’s also caused longtime Kansas head coach Bill Self to make headlines with some interesting comments about the star guard.
Kansas HC Bill Self addresses Darryn Peterson’s availability this season and how the team has gotten used to being without the star freshman.
(Via @ScottWrightOK) pic.twitter.com/MRsNhUB3lE
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) February 19, 2026
“There is a way to change the narrative. Play. Finish,” Self told reporters last week after Darryn Peterson took himself out of a game against Oklahoma State. Peterson scored 23 points during the first half before sitting out the second half.
“Now, if his body allows him to, fantastic. If it doesn’t allow him to, then they’ll say something again in the next game,” Self continued. “But that’s the way to get people to quit talking. It’s not me saying, ‘It’s not fair.’ I don’t think that really keeps anybody from having an opinion on a national level, or on this level, or any level, to be quite candid.”
Darryn Peterson will have plenty of opportunities to silence the doubters in the coming weeks as NCAA conference tournaments and March Madness tip off around the country.
If he can fortify his draft stock, the Kings will be in the mix to win the NBA Draft Lottery and make a decision on if he is worth top-pick status.
Sacramento currently owns the worst record in the NBA, giving them a 52.1% chance of landing a top-four pick and a 14.0% chance of winning May’s NBA Draft Lottery.
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When is the next Sacramento Kings game?
The Sacramento Kings will continue a five-game road trip on Wednesday afternoon against the Houston Rockets.
Sacramento is 2-1 against Houston this season, winning the most recent matchup on January 11th by a final of 111-98 at Golden 1 Center.
Be sure to catch all of the Sacramento Kings vs. Houston Rockets action right here on Sactown Sports 1140 AM, with pregame coverage beginning at 3:30 PM PT on Game Night before a 5:00 pm PT tip-off from downtown Houston.
Upcoming Sacramento Kings schedule for the 2025-26 season
Wednesday, February 25th @ Houston Rockets – 5:00 PM PT
Thursday, February 26th @ Dallas Mavericks – 5:30 PM PT
Sunday, March 1st @ Los Angeles Lakers – 6:30 PM PT
Tuesday, March 3rd vs. Phoenix Suns – 8:00 PM PT
Thursday, March 5th vs. New Orleans Pelicans – 7:00 PM PT
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