He’s back.
Kansas guard Darryn Peterson dethroned BYU forward AJ Dybantsa as the projected No. 1 overall pick in Jeremy Woo’s 2026 NBA Draft rankings on Friday.
With the opening pick, the Washington Wizards will presumably tap the Jayhawk, according to Woo’s latest mockup, and it has more to do with Peterson’s upside versus what Dybantsa’s already displayed on the floor through a full freshman season that Peterson didn’t actually have during his lone year at Kansas.
Instead, Woo is leaning toward NBA teams unfazed by Peterson’s health history and notable September episode that ultimately saw the country’s No. 1 college basketball prospect miss 11 different games during his freshman campaign. Moreover, much of the story didn’t emerge until after Peterson recovered enough to finish the season with a largely portal-shocked Kansas roster.
Still, Woo said “a better understanding of the context,” swayed his opinion at the top spot. Peterson, recording 20.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.6 assists as a freshman, only took a pre-draft workout with the Wizards, not the Jazz.
Dybantsa was Woo’s previous No. 1 pick, and overtook Peterson on several mock drafts in recent weeks, but now finds himself in the No. 2 slot and presumably going to Utah, which isn’t a bad deal for a guy who’s arguably a far bigger fan favorite in Utah Valley versus Peterson at Kansas. Dybantsa bringing down the house in Salt Lake City just feels predictable at this point.
Of Dyabantsa, Woo said, “At this stage, he doesn’t impact the game much without the ball in his hands. Dybantsa is inconsistent shooting from long range and will have to keep defenses honest to hit his ceiling as a player. Continuing to sharpen his handle to make it even harder to keep him out of the paint, will help. He has the capacity and physicality to be a great defender, but didn’t create many turnovers at BYU and needs to better apply himself on that end.”
Former Wizards star John Wall also supports Washington taking Peterson over Dybantsa with the No. 1 pick. The former Kentucky point guard spoke with a reporter earlier this week and voiced his support for the Kansas product.
The way things are lining up, Washington will likely win Peterson with its No. 1 pick unless there’s a legitimate change of heart from the Peterson camp with the draft, scheduled for June 23-24 in Brooklyn, New York, just a few days away.
