Kansas’ Darryn Peterson, BYU’s AJ Dybantsa lead early projections for top two picks in NBA draft
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LAWRENCE, Kan. — Kansas shooting guard Darryn Peterson and BYU forward AJ Dybantsa are the clear favorites to headline June’s NBA draft, according to an ESPN survey of 20 league scouts and executives released Wednesday.
The poll gave Peterson 12 first-place votes and Dybantsa eight, setting up a closely watched race for the No. 1 selection. The two freshmen will share the court for the first time Saturday when No. 13 BYU visits No. 14 Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse (4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).
Front-office turnout
At least 32 representatives from 17 NBA teams — including seven general managers or top decision-makers — are expected in Lawrence for the matchup. The Atlanta Hawks are sending owner Tony Ressler and four additional staffers, while the Indiana Pacers plan to have six officials on site. The Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards will each be represented by three evaluators.
Why the debate is tight
Peterson, listed at 6-foot-6 and 205 pounds, is lauded for elite shot-making and averages 21.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 27.2 minutes while shooting 42% from three-point range. His season has included nine missed games because of a hamstring injury and another absence last weekend due to a sprained ankle, though Kansas coach Bill Self expects him to play Saturday.
Dybantsa, a 6-foot-9, 210-pound wing, owns averages of 23.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists through BYU’s first 20 contests. Considered the more complete two-way prospect, he is shooting 31.8% from beyond the arc.
“It’s 51-49,” one veteran NBA executive said of his tentative preference for Dybantsa. “Ask me again on March 1 and I might switch.” Another scout who sided with Peterson called the Jayhawk “a scoring menace” and “the closest thing to Kobe Bryant I’ve seen in shot creation.”
Deep class beyond the top two
Scouts also referenced Duke forward Cam Boozer and North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson as possible challengers for the top slot, though neither received a first-place vote. The freshman-heavy class is considered one of the strongest in two decades, with Houston’s Kingston Flemings, Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr., Tennessee’s Nate Ament, Arkansas’s Darius Acuff Jr., Arizona’s Koa Peat, UConn’s Braylon Mullins, Houston’s Chris Cenac Jr. and Illinois’s Keaton Wagler bolstering the projected first round.
“It is extra deep with high-end talent,” a longtime scout said. “This draft will hold up historically as one of the better ones in the last 20 years.”
Source: ESPN
