Darryn Peterson’s fitness has been subject to controversy. “Feeling better. It’s coming back slowly to me,” he said after scoring 16 points while adding 5 rebounds, an assist, a block, and two steals in the 21-point Iowa State win. “I was out for a while, but every game is getting better.” After playing 25+ minutes for 3 consecutive games, it felt like Peterson was ramping up to full capacity. However, in the immediate next game against Baylor, Peterson made an early exit.

Kansas defeated Baylor 80-62 in front of a packed crowd thanks to a dominant start and a near-flawless second half. Peterson led the Jayhawks with 26 points and 3 assists. Peterson continued to manage his cramping issues, playing only 23 minutes. That included just 7 in the second half. Peterson asked to be substituted out of the game with 7:51 left, and Bill Self explained the early exit after the game.

“Well, when he asked to come out, it was done,” Bill Self said in the press conference. “So what was that? The 16-minute mark. So I told him, “You’re going back in.” And he did go back in, but he asked to come right back out after he went in.”

Peterson initially subbed out at 16:21 after making a turnaround jumper. After a 2-minute break, he was back in at 14:17, but only after 3 minutes was he back out. That wasn’t it as Peterson tried to go back in at 9:34, but in less than 2 minutes, he was back on the bench. However, it seems the substitution was motivated by the match situation rather than his fitness. When Peterson subbed out, Kansas led by 17 points, and the game was effectively “done.”

“Great. Yeah, I feel great. I felt good,” Peterson said. The numbers look good as well. He is averaging a team-high 21.7 points, along with 2.1 assists and 4.4 rebounds. He is moving well on the court until those dreaded cramps hit, which the team still hasn’t figured out completely.

“There’s no prediction on when or if things are going to start bothering him in the second half,” Self had said after the WVU loss. “There’s also no indication that we know of that the load actually impacts when that (cramping) actually occurs. No indication of that whatsoever,” Self said. But beyond the stop-and-start rotation pattern, Peterson’s presence reveals an even deeper dynamic shaping Kansas’ offense.

Bill Self Needs Darryn Peterson For A Fundamental Reason

Most fans believe Darryn Peterson is already NBA-ready, and for a good reason. His production, chance creation, athleticism, maturity- everything stands out. He is scoring tough buckets against elite defenders with ease. But there is an even deeper reason he is the projected No.1 pick in most mock drafts, and also the reason Bill Self needs him on the court as much as possible.

Darryn Peterson has instilled fear in defenders and opposing teams. They no longer think one defender on him is enough. His gravity has grown with his stature. His ability to just shrug off defenders with ease creates a death trap. Teams try to overwhelm him with defenders, but end up making things easy for the rest of the Kansas side.

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“I mean, I say when we all play together basically, we know there is a great either he creates his own, or he draws two defenders and then opens for other people. So, just kind of like based on that, and then so far it’s working out pretty good,” Flory Bidunga said.

At one point, Peterson drew both defenders in the pick-and-roll. That left big man Bidunga wide-open for an alley-oop dunk. That’s just the gravity Peterson brings whenever he’s on the floor. Bidunga flourished against Baylor, partly because of the same effect.

Bidunga had 23 points, 11 rebounds on 11-14 shooting, arguably the best he has looked this season. This Kansas offense is prone to off days. For example, Tre White scored just 6 points while 1-8 from the field, and Melvin Council Jr went 3-11. To offset these inconsistencies, they need Peterson to make others’ jobs easier. Going forward, Peterson will likely continue increasing minutes on the floor. However, the team must be careful not to risk re-injury, because that is something that can derail Peterson’s draft prospects and Kansas’ season trajectory.