Projected top-three pick Darryn Peterson declares for 2026 NBA Draft

This was expected, but now Darryn Peterson has made it official.

Peterson has declared for the NBA Draft, announcing his decision on Instagram.

Peterson, a 6'5" combo guard, is an elite shot creator and finisher who averaged 20.2 points and 4.2 rebounds a game, shooting 32.8% from 3-point range.

That season at Kansas also raised a few eyebrows because of health concerns — Peterson missed 11 games (a sprained ankle and illnesses), but maybe more concerning were the early exits due to cramping. Several times during the season, Peterson checked himself out of games due to cramping. The most notable was against BYU and potential No. 1 pick, AJ Dybantsa — Peterson was dominant in the first half but left early in the third quarter. He has yo-yo'ed in and out of the lineup all season, but he also explained what was behind this in his mind.

Scouts and team officials NBC Sports has spoken with said they are not overly concerned about the health issues, but acknowledge that, for stretches of the season, he has not looked as explosive as he did a year earlier in high school. To a man, they added, "We want to see the medicals," referring to the medical evaluations that will take place at the NBA Draft Combine next month.

Those health concerns were enough to take Peterson from the projected No. 1 pick in the draft to likely No. 2 behind Dybantsa, because Dybantsa is seen as a safer bet.

Peterson entered the season seen as a point guard and a high-level playmaker, but he averaged just 1.6 assists per game with the Jayhawks. Some scouts speaking to NBC Sports wondered how much coach Bill Self's offensive system limited Peterson in that regard. Still, one scout told NBC Sports he may be more of an Anthony Edwards type who needs to play next to a traditional point guard, but what team couldn't use an Anthony Edwards?