Darryn Peterson Draws Bold Comparison For NBA Potential
The NBA Draft holds plenty of potential talent this year, with a debate seeming to continue over who should go first overall: BYU’s AJ Dybantsa or Kansas‘s Darryn Peterson.
Most fans and analysts agree that Dybantsa is the clear choice for the Washington Wizards with the first pick, followed by Peterson going to the Utah Jazz with the second pick.
Earlier this week, ESPN’s Jeremy Woo still had Peterson going second overall and indicated that while he did well during the team interview process, teams are waiting on the results of his medical evaluations.
That’s due to his issues with cramping this past season, which Peterson figured out was due to his taking high amounts of the supplement creatine.
During a discussion on ESPN’s “NBA Today,” Malika Andrews said there is still speculation Peterson could go first, and insider Brian Windhorst suggested he “might be the most talented player in the draft.”
Former player-turned-analyst Kendrick Perkins took it a step further by making quite the comparison between Peterson’s floor and ceiling in terms of his potential in the league.
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“When it comes to his talent, his pace and his shooting would translate easily to the NBA. He’s good in the pick and roll, knows how to make the right reads," Perkins said, adding, "Low end, Bradley Beal. High end, Kobe Bryant."
That left Andrews and Windhorst stunned, but Windy also mentioned he got “chills” upon hearing Perkins’s comparison of Peterson to the late, great Kobe.
The 6-foot-5 Kansas guard averaged 20.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game with a 43.8 percent field goal percentage. His team appeared in two games in the NCAA Tournament, falling to the St. John’s Red Storm in the second round.
Comparing Peterson to Kobe certainly predicts a high ceiling for Peterson. The Los Angeles Lakers legend won five championships, appeared on 18 All-Star teams, won the MVP Award, was a two-time scoring champion, and had many other accolades in his 20-year career.
Most consider him among the all-time greats in league history, so that is a lot of pressure for Peterson to live up to that sort of talent. On the other side, his floor for NBA potential is Beal, a three-time All-Star who seemed on the verge of a great career, but has more recently been out with injuries.
Now in his 14th season as a member of the Clippers, Beal only played in six games last season. Peterson, and whoever drafts him, is hoping his career will be closer to Kobe’s than Beal’s when he begins to blossom in the league.
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This story was originally published May 22, 2026 at 5:29 PM.