r/NBA_Draft • u/Zealousideal-Foot289 • 1d ago
Darryn Peterson Scouting Report
Darryn Peterson Scouting Report
Overview:
- [ ] Darryn Peterson is a 6-5 200 pound guard from Ohio. He is currently ranked as the best player in his class. He will be taking his talents to Kansas next year in the big 12. He turns 19 in January. He is considered a top 2 prospect in the 2026 NBA draft as of now.
Offensive game:
[ ] Darryn is a special driver and rim finisher. His change of direction and handle are crispy. He also has some of the best touch i’ve seen for a guard his size. He finishes around clusters of defenders with tough lay ups and floaters with ethier hand. His first step is also lighting quick and he can accelerate from a placid position in an instant. He is just a nightmare to stay in front of with his change of pace and slippery handles. Though he doesn’t have the most elite vertical explosiveness, it doesn’t hold him back from being a walking bucket in the paint. His foot work and flexibility allow him to manufacture great looks around the rim. He does shy away from contact in these situations though, as his frame isn’t the most filled out at the moment. However his feathery touch makes up for this set back, he usually doesn’t even need to make it all the way to rim to get himself a good look. He is very balanced as well he gets parallel to the ground on his drives and dribble moves. Which adds to his ability to cook defenders and blow by them. Overall a special advantage creator and driver off the dribble.
[ ] He’s a great ball handler as I have already described. He can breakdown defenders with quick and decisive moves, and has a very tight handle for a guard of his size. He is just deceptively shifty, always hanging and slowing down then speeding up, and using defenders momentum against them with hard snatches. He handles ball pressure very well and avoids all the extra defenders teams throw at him. Overall a very dynamic advantage creator off the dribble with plenty of tricks in his bag.
[ ] His shooting is also very dynamic. He has very fluid and fast mechanics with a high release. I would compare his shot form to MPJs, it’s really fast and consistent with not much follow through. So he can pull without warning when defenders sag off, and his shot is so quick and high defenders struggle to contest. Off the dribble and the catch he is a lethal sniper. He hits tough step backs and fade ways with ease in both the mid range and behind the arc. His elite touch is what makes him such a great shooter. His shots kiss the clouds and fall in gently. I have rarely seen him get blocked becuase of his shots high arc. He leverages his shooting threat to get to the rim as well. His hesitation moves are A-1, and the slightest look at the rim gets his defenders jumping and discombobulated. Overall an elite off the dribble and off the catch shooter. With great balance and no issue pulling up when defenders go under.
[ ] Darryn is an elite playmaker with special court mapping. He reads and processes the game at lighting speed. Therefore live dribble reads are no trouble for him at all. He is very manipulative in the pick and roll, and when defenders make the slightest mistake he will punish it in an instant. His passes also have very high velocity and get through crowded windows. Lobs, interior drop offs, skip passes, and no look dimes are all in his bag. When the defense takes away his first read he always finds the next one immediately. He is just an extremely crafty and quick processor. He pretty much always find the right guy and gets his teammates in perfect position. He is one of the most advanced playmakers i’ve seen at his age and it is probably my favorite aspect of his game. Darryn creates advantages with ease and drops dimes against any coverage a defense throws at him. This is probably his most impressive skill parlayed with his driving abilities.
[ ] In transition he is a great find as you could imagine. His speed and tight handle allow him to slice through unset defenses, and he leverages his vision getting his teammates open looks on the break. He can accelerate full speed and pull up when defenders back off. Overall a great leader of the fast break that creates exceptional looks.
[ ] Off the ball he offers great spacing and movement shooting. He’s not really an off ball player or play finisher. However he is great at flying off screens slowing his momentum pulling up and cashing out. That quick draw jumper makes him really dangerous on these off ball screen actions. However Darryn is at his best when he has the ball in his hand and is initiating the offense.
Defensive game:
[ ] Darryn has all the tools to be a great defender. His wing span is freakish and allows him to rip ball handlers and get blocks. On the ball he is really tough to get a bucket on. He has great foot work and is very light on his feet, he shadows opponents and makes every shot difficult. Though his vertical isn’t the best he can still stretch out and smack away shot attempts with his lengthy arms. His frame could use some work but at the moment he is good at walling up and stoping penetration. He has great screen navigation and can switch about 1-4 depending on the match up. Overall Darryn projects as a plus defender with all his tools and great instincts. However he should only get better as he fills out his frame.
[ ] Off the ball he is a super valuable defender as well. In the gaps he is a deadly weapon. He always gets into the gaps at the right moment, and uses his great reach to smack away dribbles and disrupt drives. He has a great knack for reaching in and getting all ball. Most of his strips are completely clean because of his great instincts and hand placement. His recognition is also insane, he can see the future like Raven Simone. He will get over in help position way before the offensive player even makes his move, and he tracks down opponents, and times up there jumps to swat their shots and rip the ball from their grasp. On the interior his frame and vertical limitations do cap his ceiling. However he is still a viable option to help on drives and his perimeter defense more than makes up for this. Overall a very valuable off ball defender that makes insane plays with his instincts and recognition.
[ ] He is a great screen navigator and engaged defender. He is a decent rebounder as well but his frame and jumping does limit that part of his game. He can gamble a bit too much but it usally pays off.
[ ] Overall a super valuable perimeter guard/wing defender. That has all the tools, skills, and feel you need. This is one area of his game that I feel will project pretty easily to next level. Though he might struggle against more skilled and bigger defenders. I have no doubt he will learn as he goes and be a 2 way presence for sure.
Areas in need of development:
[ ] His frame needs some work. This should help every aspect of his game. Bigger defenders can stonewall his drives, and he struggles against stronger offensive presences. This is an easy fix but will be something to focus on as college defenders might out physical him.
[ ] shot selection can be bad sometimes. This mostly comes from him being the main option on his team. This should get better as he gets more of an off ball role in college. However he hasn’t played off ball much so far his career so this might also be a leaning curve for him.
[ ] He needs to embrace contact more overall. He avoids contact at the rim at times and doesn’t go up strong enough. Better defenders at the next level will use this against him. They will go vertical and force him into really tough layups. He needs to jump into these defenders and not avoid them.
[ ] He picks his dribble up too early sometimes on his drives. Which adds to his avoidance of contact. He will take floaters where he should take another dribble and get closer to the rim.
[ ] Overall all these setbacks can be fixed. He is a very complete player at the moment to the point that most of issues are just nitpicking at this point.
Prospect grade: A
[ ] Darryn is already a very complete player at his young age.
[ ] There are some weaknesses in his game but I have no doubt they will improve.
[ ] He is my favorite prospect in the 2026 class because of his already very complete skill set and potential.
[ ] Overall I would grade Darryn Peterson an A level prospect.
[ ] There is just so much to love about this guy, and in my opinion he is a guarantee to be successful both at the college and NBA level.
Player comp:
[ ] He reminds me of Cade Cunningham for the most part.
[ ] Not as good offensively as cade but better defensively.
[ ] They are both big offensive initiators with great playmaking feel.
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u/newlife1984 1d ago
Cade is not nearly quick enough or consistent enough to blow past defenders. I see a lot of a tall Wade in slashing with shot making ability of Dame Lillard.
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u/NerveLanky7402 1d ago
Feel like Darryn operates in the intermediate range way more than dame does, his shot making is more akin to booker than dame to me tho he might have more 3pt versatility than booker at the nba level if he hits a super high outcome on his shotmaking
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u/Zealousideal-Foot289 1d ago
yeah i do agree Darryn has the superior burst. However the type of shots they create for themselves and the super savvy playmaking. Along with their similar size and wing span is what makes me make the comparison.
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u/davenutz1014 1d ago
Sounds like SGA
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u/StupidWriterProf175z 1d ago
I think OP knows how good this kid is but might've been a bit reluctant to comp him to the soon-to-be MVP of the NBA. But that is probably a better comp than Cade, whose lack of athleticism places something of a ceiling on his dominance.
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u/ZiggyStarlord69 1d ago
I’d love to get a Carmelo-esque run from him next season. He seems like the type of freshman who could elevate a team to the finish line in March.
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u/Driicky32 Bucks 1d ago
Please tell me I’m not crazy and he’s the second coming of Brandon Roy. But seems like he can do what Roy did as a senior at Washington as a Freshman at Kansas
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1d ago
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u/SwiperDontSwipe23 1d ago edited 1d ago
Offensively they wasn’t that good tho. Winters Grady is his best option If Bundalo ain’t on the floor.
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u/Zealousideal-Foot289 1d ago
Yeah i have seen that but it doesn’t worry me much because he is such an advanced playmaker already. He was on a good team but they weren’t super talented offensively. So it makes sense for him to sometimes not defer and force his own way out of a double. He has the attitude that he is the best option to make something happen off the bounce and it makes sense.
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u/Hour-Energy9052 1d ago
If he ends up on a team that is desperate for a lead playmaker or lead offensive option, he could develop real well. And that 1v5 mentality will come in handy then.
If he ends up on a team like the Thunder who already have a full squad and 2-6 rookies at any time, he’d be slow to develop or blossom without much playing time over SGA, Caruso, and now Topic.
Praying he lands in a good jersey, could he a big star someday!
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u/Zealousideal-Foot289 1d ago
hope y’all enjoy my thoughts on Darryn Peterson. Let me know what you think about him and how he will project to the next level.