The Darryn Peterson play, and miss saga continues, and that has become one of the most gripping storylines in NCAA basketball recently. This unpredictability is what is making NBA teams anxious about his health. An NBA executive who chose to remain anonymous gave his take on the matter.

“YOU’D HAVE TO BE NAIVE NOT TO BE CONCERNED. ONE OF THE SCARIEST THINGS IN THE LEAGUE IS A GUY WHO HAS TO BE 100 PERCENT TO PLAY,” said the exec on this whole situation that has kept everyone at Kansas on their toes.

Now this is a situation that has probably bothered Kansas coach Bill Self more than anyone else because it is he who is having to manage this situation more than anyone. Fortunately, though, for Self, Peterson was available in the last two games against Oklahoma and Cincinnati. The game against Oklahoma saw Peterson signalling to be benched in the second quarter, accumulating just 18 mins, but against Cincinnati, Peterson did actually play 32 mins.

Unfortunately for him, it couldn’t rescue his team from a loss as they collapsed 84-68 against the Bearcats. The Bearcats, with a 15-12 record wasn’t supposed to pose any problems for Bill Self and his boys, and yet they somehow managed to win, and that too in style.

And that is making everyone feel, well, there’s no other way to put it -WORRIED

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Basketball World Wonders the Reason Behind Darryn Peterson’s Limited Availability

Well, it doesn’t come as a surprise that the NBA exec would feel this way about Peterson’s may or may not play situation, because everyone is as befuddled about the situation in the same manner. Like, what exactly is going on?

Of a possible 1,000 minutes in the Kansas Jayhawks’ 2025-26 season, gifted freshman Darryn Peterson has played 435. More than being on the glass, he has been seen being a spectator from the end-zone student section at Allen Fieldhouse. Whenever his team has a game, there are murmurs about his availability, and that is making things uncomfortable at the camp.

Not just the camp, but it is also putting a big question mark about his impending NBA career. There is no dispute regarding his caliber as a player, however. Peterson is deemed the best prospect in what has been the most impressive freshman class in at least two decades. He has drawn comparisons to the late great Kobe Bryant.

And now you have this situation. First, a hamstring injury made him miss seven games, then cramps made him miss two more. This was followed by an ankle injury, which again cost him a game, and then the latest flu against Arizona.

What’s even more surprising is that NBA scouts have noted that when cramping is cited as a reason Peterson leaves games and is seated on the Kansas bench, most often wearing what appears to be a warming device across his thighs as he watches his teammates take charge from the sidelines.

Which is unnatural, as most players who find themselves in similar situations with leg cramps get aggressive treatment to ease their return. Now that is making the NBA wonder if Peterson’s management team is engaging in “load management”, the term for reducing the wear on an athlete that began in the league roughly 15 years ago.

The NBA does not just play a max of 40 games per season, and the regular season itself calls for 82 games. If you make it to the playoffs after that, you add 20 more to that number, and you get over 100 games easily. Now, whether Peterson will be able to sustain that amount of pressure is what is worrying them.

Many Kansas loyalists believe in Peterson’s ability and know that if he remains healthy and gets to spend more minutes on the court, an NCAA title could also be on the cards, and the fact that this has been going on is simply frustrating for them.

The NBA draft is just a couple of months away, as the scouts are already studying Peterson’s every move. So will Peterson eventually make it as a top pick, or will his sporadic appearances prove to be catastrophic? Well, we will find out soon enough. But Bill Self doesn’t buy the fact that his protege is saving himself by feigning injuries.

“He hasn’t finished games consistently. The reasons why he hasn’t finished – he’s saving himself for the NBA, or load management, or that kind of stuff – to me, that couldn’t be more false,” says the coach, making his point clear to all naysayers who suspect foul play.