Having elite talent isn’t enough anymore to be viewed as the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft. Darryn Peterson is learning it the hard way, as his stock is falling hard ahead of the upcoming draft.

Darryn Peterson’s season is falling apart, not because his stats are getting worse, but because NBA teams stopped believing they could trust him. His scoring numbers are among the best, but scouts are openly doubting his ability to stay healthy and his willingness to do so.

According to Marc Stein of The Stein Line, teams in contention for the No. 1 pick are hesitant about selecting Peterson. One of the top evaluators said, “I wouldn’t take [Kansas’ Darryn] Peterson with the first pick. Too many question marks.”

Peterson’s injury history directly justifies evaluator skepticism. The guard has missed 11 games this season and left a few others because of cramps, tight hamstrings, and ankle problems during big games. His 27.6 minutes per game is a significant drop from the typical workload of a top prospect, raising red flags about his stamina.

Sean Farnham of ESPN called the situation “baffling.” He didn’t doubt his ability, but he did wonder if he could stay consistent over an 82-game NBA season. This difference sets apart evaluating talent from assessing organizational risk.

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When you think about lottery positioning, the loss of consensus becomes even more important. Sacramento, Indiana, and Brooklyn have the best odds. Washington, Utah, New Orleans, Dallas, and Memphis are all very close behind. When rebuilding a team, the first pick has to be both promising and dependable. Questions about Peterson’s durability come at a bad time because other candidates, like AJ Dybantsa and Cameron Boozer, are making their cases stronger.

Peterson is still a top scorer because he is 6 feet 6 inches tall, has a smooth handle, and can make shots in creative ways. But the sense of inevitability about his status has faded.

Bill Self defends Darryn Peterson amid Arizona blowout

Darryn Peterson was on the court when Arizona beat Kansas 84–61, which was the Jayhawks’ worst loss of the year. The Wildcats took control of the game early with a 19-0 run in the first half. But Peterson still scored 24 points, including 11 in a row at one point, while teammates Flory Bidunga and Bryson Tiller only scored four points. One person couldn’t save the day by himself in a 23-point loss.

Coach Bill Self stood by Peterson after the game, even though he missed 13 shots. “You can say slow start, and I’m not going to disagree with you, but was it a slow start because he missed shots, or did he play poorly? I don’t think he played poorly. I just think he missed shots,” Self said. He added, “I thought he was fine. And even though I’m not admitting to anything other than the fact that when the game was out of reach, it was time to start thinking about resting guys for Tuesday.”

Darryn Peterson hadn’t scored more than 20 points since the middle of January, so his 24-point game on Saturday stood out, even though he lost. Peterson will get his next chance to make things right on Tuesday. But Self’s defense of Peterson shows that NBA scouts have a bigger problem: even when Peterson does well, it doesn’t matter as much.

This is Peterson’s problem in a nutshell. He scored 24 points. Kansas lost by 23 points. Even if he scores a lot in blowout losses, it won’t convince people who don’t believe he can lead a team. Draft evaluators care about more than just volume, and right now, Peterson can only give them volume without wins.