Darryn Peterson's antics are making AJ Dybantsa the clear number one pick

Darryn Peterson is doing everything in his power to dissuade NBA teams from placing him first on their draft boards.

When Kansas and BYU faced off in Lawrence earlier this year, all eyes fell on Peterson and fellow contender for the number-one selection in the 2026 NBA draft class, AJ Dybantsa. On the court, Peterson clearly won the battle, dicing up the BYU defense and capitalizing on each of his one-on-one opportunities, squaring off against the Cougars' ace. In just one half of play, Peterson outscored Dybantsa's output for the entire game, and the draft debate was over: Peterson was the clear-cut top pick.

I mentioned that Peterson outscored Dybantsa in just one half of play. This is important, because Peterson sat out for the entire second half, opting to remain on the bench even as the Cougars whittled the Jayhawks' lead down to single digits.

He didn't play in the second half of that game by choice. He's made a habit of that in the following games.

Sitting out entire games due to cramping, and dictating his own minutes with head coach Bill Self, Peterson stirred up plenty of controversy when, after hitting a routing catch-and-shoot three-pointer, he tapped his coach signaling that he was done for the night. He had played just 18 minutes.

Peterson led all scorers in his self-restricted floor time, and obviously boasts the most remarkable scoring ability of any player in the upcoming draft, but when the best ability is availability, it's not hard to feel anxious about his durability, competitive drive, and motivation to play.

The craziest part? This may all be a deliberate, strategic move to get Peterson to land in his preferred NBA home. This isn't unprecedented. Just last year, Rutgers star Ace Bailey and his camp rejected workouts and interviews to avoid getting selected by Utah, a setting notorious for being unpopular in NBA circles.

This is the modern age of professional athletics (a line which college sports have all but officially crossed over by this point): players ride their talent and control their path, no matter the pushback.

And with the swarming drama around Peterson's recent tendencies, BYU's AJ Dybantsa could stand to benefit greatly.

Dybantsa and Peterson were the top two players in the 2025 recruiting class, no matter who you ask. Peterson, with unthinkable scoring ability for his age and Dybantsa with all the size and length of a Kevin Durant/Tracy McGrady/Kevin Garnett type and the scoring ceiling of a veteran NBA All-Star. Those two make for a loaded top-end of the draft, and I haven't even mentioned Duke's Cam Boozer or UNC's Caleb Wilson.

Dybantsa has been enjoying an incredible season himself, even if his injury-plagued BYU teammates haven't been able to pick up the slack. Most recently, he posted a 35-point game on the road against fourth-ranked Arizona. He is now the all-time freshman scoring leader at BYU, both in total points and points in a game (43 against Utah).

Does Darryn Peterson's college highlight reel garner more buzz for the top pick? Probably. But if teams aren't inclined to wager with the drama that surrounds him, AJ Dybantsa could see himself at the top of the order on draft night.