Darryn Peterson is arguably one of the brightest prospects in the upcoming NBA Draft. The 19-year-old is having a brilliant rookie year with the Kansas Jayhawks in College Basketball. He has only played 15 times this season for Kansas, but is averaging 20 points per game in his limited time on the court. Peterson has now come under the spotlight for the wrong reasons, especially after Stephen A. Smith’s latest comments.

ESPN continues to project Darryn Peterson as the top pick in the NBA Draft, despite him sitting out so many games, including the latest incident where he opted to sub out after 23 points in 18 minutes against Oklahoma State. Basketball Analyst Stephen A. Smith commented on teams targeting Peterson, stating that no team should try to pick the 19-year-old.

Stephen said,” There is no team in hell that should grab Darryn Peterson at number 1. You cannot do it. The first ability is availability… You are a college player. These 24, 25 games, you have already missed 11 or 12 games. You pull yourself out. You made a jumper and looked to the coach, ‘ I wanna get out of here.’ And this ain’t the first time he’s done it. And these games that he’s missing, cramps, flu, what? What? I can’t believe what I’m seeing from this guy.”

Darryn Peterson has missed 11 games so far, and in the games he has played, he has been on the court for less than 25 minutes in 7 of the 15 games he has featured for the Kansas Jayhawks this season. In their latest win over Oklahoma State, the 19-year-old scored 23 points in just 18 minutes before sitting out for the rest of the game.

This debate has been going on for a few weeks now. Peterson has missed games because of cramps and the flu, and did not feature for the Kansas Jayhawks against the top-seeded Arizona Wildcats. The criticism has only increased after he asked to be subbed out against Oklahoma State, with almost the entire second half left in the game. Kansas Head Coach Bill Self also expressed his disappointment at Peterson’s request, stating that the 19-year-old would have been in for a good night with the way he was troubling the scoreboard.

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Kansas Head Coach Bill Self expresses his concern over Darryn Peterson’s issue

No one can deny Peterson’s ability and his efficiency on the court, which is why he continues to be rated as the top prospect. But his work ethic and love for basketball are being questioned by fans and experts alike. The Oklahoma State incident, in which he sat for almost the entire second half after scoring 23 points in 18 minutes, has Head Coach Bill Self concerned over Kansas’ NCAA prospects.

Speaking after the win over Oklahoma State, Self stated,” It’s a concern. I thought we were past it, but obviously we’re not. It’s certainly a concern. You get into the NCAA tournament, you’re playing a team just as good as you, and you need to have all your best players available, so to speak. All it takes is one day like that to derail not only a game, but a season. It’s concerning, but I do think we’re making progress with it.”

Asking to be subbed out in the middle of the game also ruins the team’s on-court momentum and the Head Coach’s pre-game planned rotation. Also, it creates uncertainty in the locker room, as players are unaware of how much they are going to play and whether their teammate will take the court.

To add to it, Darryn Peterson’s actions set a poor precedent within the Kansas setup for other players, with the 19-year-old deciding when to play.

It is concerning for a Head Coach to work around Darryn Peterson’s availability. The Kansas Jayhawks are 20-6 overall and are 3rd in the Big 12 standings. Bill Self is likely to target a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.

However, the team would need their best player available and playing as much as possible against the best of the teams in the NCAA Tournament. Heading into March Madness, where the focus needs to be on success, it could prove mentally jarring for everyone involved to deal with this underlying problem.