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Kansas signee Darryn Peterson, the No. 3 recruit in the Class of 2025 (per On3), was ranked as the first pick in a 2026 Mock NBA Draft by ESPN which was released on Tuesday. The list of players who are predicted to be the first 10 picks in the mock draft was shared by the official page of SLAM High School, a high school sports portal, on Instagram on Wednesday.
Peterson ranked above BYU signee AJ Dybantsa, Duke signee Cameron Boozer, and other top prospects from the Class of 2025. Check out the full list in the post below:
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Hoops fans joined in in the comments section to talk about Darryn Peterson's ability after he was ranked above Dybantsa:
"DP’s player comp is Kobe," one fan said.
""Finally they respecting Darryn," another fan wrote.
"Darryn's game is more polished as of right now but going into the NBA draft, I think AJ will have improved his game severely and will be number 1 for sure," an Instagram user said.
"Darryn just make it look smoother," a fan commented.
However, other fans disagreed with the rankings and expressed their opinions:
"Y'all can't tell me Darryn is better than AJ," one Instagram user wrote. "T'he only reason why Darryn is beating AJ in every match up is that Darryn is in Prolific Prep, they are having good players compared to Utah prep that's why, for crying out loud, AJ is number 1 ranked in the nation for a reason. If darryn is better why is he still the number 2 😢🙄🥱."
"Whoever drafts Alijah Arenas in that class is gonna win, Gil been training him to average 30 on high volume w good efficiency if y'all don’t think he gonna be a stud idk what yall on," one high school hoops fan said.
"AJ's game fits where the NBA is headed more, but you can’t go wrong with either," one fan commented.
What happened when Darryn Peterson faced AJ Dybantsa?
The No. 1 and No. 3 players in the Class of 2025 (per On3) met in a Grind Session game on February 8 in Atlanta. Darry Peterson's Prolific Prep took home a tight 88-86 win in a contest that saw the 6-foot-5 shooting guard score 58 points on 66% shooting. He also added seven rebounds, five assists and three steals.
The performance was also historic because Peterson broke his high school's single-game scoring record during the win. Prolific Prep's single-game record was earlier held by NBA player Gary Trent Jr. (48). While Dybanta's Utah Prep was defeated, he did not go without a fight, scoring 49 points and grabbing nine rebounds.
The game marked the second time the two teams faced off this season, and Prolific Prep emerged victorious on both occasions.
