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Kansas freshman guard Darryn Peterson, the possible No. 1 pick in June's 2026 NBA Draft, returned to the lineup for the first time after missing his team's last seven games due to a hamstring injury. Peterson logged 23 minutes and recorded 17 points, three rebounds and an assist in an 80-60 win over Missouri on Sunday.

"I thought he did fine," Kansas coach Bill Self told reporters after the win. "I didn't think he pushed it. That's not because of his (hamstring), that's because he's sick. I was nervous he wasn't going to play. ... I thought he did fine, but I didn't plan on playing him 17 and a half minutes the first half. I wanted to play about 14, and then when he got however many he got to start the second half, he was gassed. If it had been a close game, it may have been different, but I wasn't going to try to play him over 27 anyway."

Peterson, one of the most highly touted guard prospects to come out of the high school ranks in years, made his collegiate debut against Green Bay last month, finishing with 21 points, four rebounds and three assists. Against North Carolina on the road, Peterson scored 22 points in a 87-74 loss.

Self told reporters last month that Peterson's hamstring issue had been lingering for "weeks," but he played through it in the early part of the season. Notably, Peterson didn't finish an exhibition game against Louisville due to a cramping issue and also exited the second half against Green Bay due to cramps.

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Kyle Boone
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What makes Darryn Peterson an elite NBA prospect?

Peterson started to create some separation among his peers to become the NBA's No. 1 overall pick in the summer. However, if you ask 10 people who follow the draft closely to predict the first three picks in the draft, you might get 10 different answers. While the top pick has been dominated by forwards, wings and bigs in recent years, Peterson has a chance to become the exception.

In CBS Sports' NBA Draft prospect rankings by Adam Finkelstein, Peterson was ranked No. 1, ahead of BYU's AJ Dybantsa and Duke's Cameron Boozer -- both of whom are wings/forwards at the NBA level.

He finished as the top-ranked prospect in last year's recruiting class and begins this draft cycle in the same place. Peterson is a big, playmaking guard who continues to improve each year. His overlap of positional size, length, strength and shot creation is unmatched in this class. In fact, he may be the best domestic guard we've seen in several draft cycles. If the shot-making we've seen early on at Kansas proves sustainable, he could be even better than expected. 

The last guard taken with the No. 1 pick was Cade Cunningham in 2021. Since 2010, only six prospects who have gone No. 1 have been classified as a guard. Although Cooper Flagg has been utilized as a point guard through the first few weeks his NBA career by the Dallas Mavericks, he is a traditional wing at the NBA level.

Part of the intrigue around Peterson is his potential to be a volume scorer at the NBA level. Peterson is also a talented defensive prospect who can defend at a high level because of his size and athleticism. But what stands out the most -- and why he may ultimately go No. 1 -- is his shot making that is second to none in this class. 

Peterson has all the makings to be an elite scorer at the next level.