What is everyone's opinion on Darryn Peterson?

[Mephariel]

I was looking at some of the upcoming draft prospects and I realized he is ranked right up there with AJ Dybantsa. So I checked out his highlights and damn this kid is smooth! He exhibits the kind of fluidity you don't see even from star prospects. I know high school stats doesn't mean much but he averaged 30.4 points, 6.8 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game and shot 44% from 3 point range during his senior year. He scored 58 points against Dybantsa's team (who also had 49 points) and hit the game winning shot. What is the general consensus on him? Is he a potential generational talent?

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

[BigGargamel]

No, not a "generational talent" (how can players be generational when someone calls a guy that almost every year? LOL), but I have him as the top ranked guy in the 2026 draft right now. Basically what you want in a modern day point guard. Fantastic scorer, and can set up teammates when needed. A lot of SGA to his game.

[Duke4life831]

He’s not generational. There is a reason a guy like Flagg got that tag. It’s because since he was 15, he was dominating people 2-3 years older than him, and not just in high school, look at what he did at the U-17 World Cup when he was just 15. Flagg then went on to win all the awards as a Senior in high school and had one of the best freshman seasons in the history of college ball.

This class has 3 good prospects (Peterson, AJ, Boozer). All 3 with legit question marks with them. You also have a big wildcard in Ament. If Boozer was 3 inches taller or more athletic, he’d probably get the generational label to him.

But ya I just think Peterson is your normal #1 ranked high school prospect. Not terrible, not elite, just a solid normal #1 prospect.

[Catchall]

He's not as electric and twitchy as young Kobe, but he might be the closest comparison to Kobe I can remember.

[Karate Diop]

He’s not generational. There is a reason a guy like Flagg got that tag. It’s because since he was 15, he was dominating people 2-3 years older than him, and not just in high school, look at what he did at the U-17 World Cup when he was just 15. Flagg then went on to win all the awards as a Senior in high school and had one of the best freshman seasons in the history of college ball.

This class has 3 good prospects (Peterson, AJ, Boozer). All 3 with legit question marks with them. You also have a big wildcard in Ament. If Boozer was 3 inches taller or more athletic, he’d probably get the generational label to him.

But ya I just think Peterson is your normal #1 ranked high school prospect. Not terrible, not elite, just a solidormal #1 prospect.

What are those questions marks for each? (I'm not really a draft guy anymore...)

[Duke4life831]

He’s not generational. There is a reason a guy like Flagg got that tag. It’s because since he was 15, he was dominating people 2-3 years older than him, and not just in high school, look at what he did at the U-17 World Cup when he was just 15. Flagg then went on to win all the awards as a Senior in high school and had one of the best freshman seasons in the history of college ball.

This class has 3 good prospects (Peterson, AJ, Boozer). All 3 with legit question marks with them. You also have a big wildcard in Ament. If Boozer was 3 inches taller or more athletic, he’d probably get the generational label to him.

But ya I just think Peterson is your normal #1 ranked high school prospect. Not terrible, not elite, just a solidormal #1 prospect.

What are those questions marks for each? (I'm not really a draft guy anymore...)

I’d say Peterson’s biggest question marks are in a half court setting, he’s not super dynamic when it comes to creating space. He’s a good straight line athlete, but he lacks elite level wiggle and also doesn’t have the most dynamic handle. Which with those two things, his ability to create space in the half court is very inconsistent. He also has played in a role where he monopolizes the offense. He’s a ridiculously high usage guy. So you either have to project him as a Luka/Young/Harden kind of player. Or he will need to show off ball skills he’s never really shown before.

AJ: To often it becomes the AJ show. The potential is there, but he’s not yet consistent enough with his efficiency to pull off the “AJ show” as much as he does. You’re going to hear a lot of “he’s flashy, but does he actually play a winning style of basketball” talk with him.

Boozer: Sadly kind of just a tweener. Skill wise and production wise, he’s one of the most complete high school players ever. 6’9 elite rebounder who is an 80+% FT shooter and 40% 3pt shooter. Is viewed as the best outlet passer in high school since Kevin Love. The issue is, he’s 6’9 without the athleticism you want from a perimeter player. If he was 2-3 inches taller and more of a rim protector, or if he was like a Cooper Flagg level of athlete, he’d be viewed as a generational prospect. But he’s kind of in that, athleticism of a 5, but the skills of a 4.

Again to be clear, I think all 3 are very good prospects. But for that generational tag, you need to be AD, Flagg, KD and so on kind of prospect. Like Flagg was viewed as the best defensive high school prospect since AD. And he just averaged 19/7/4 on 48/38/84 shooting. Basically when people look at Flagg his flaws are very limited. Like his biggest flaw is that his handle isn’t the most dynamic. But it’s not like it’s a Jaylen Brown level bad handle either.

[Chokic]

I agree Darryn Peterson isnt a generational talent. Things going for him he has a pretty polished cerebral game doesnt pound the heck out of the ball few dribbles and pullup and a no nonsense demeanor good maturity level. At 6'5 with a 6'10 wingspan is decent and good but not particularly explosiive. His measurements are similar to Sga albeit this kid has a naturallu sronger frame. Top tier athleticism for sg is no longer the end all be all prerequisite to having superstar potential as already shown by Sga who relies heavily on his skill craftiness and excellent footwork. He could be anywhere from Rj Barrett former #1 hs player to Brandon Roy.

[Saints14]

Can’t say I have a super well formed opinion of HS prospects but from what I’ve seen so far about Peterson he reminds me of Fultz as a prospect (not an insult at all, I considered Fultz a solid but not spectacular #1 overall pick)

[Lalouie]

just two words of caution......

emoni bates

[Rainwater]

just two words of caution......

emoni bates

lol he is better than Emoni.

[Rainwater]

I think Peterson might be the best player in the draft.

[Special_Puppy]

I don't really formulate that strong opinions on projects until right before the draft. That being said he looks really good based from the little I have seen

[UcanUwill]

No, not a "generational talent" (how can players be generational when someone calls a guy that almost every year? LOL), but I have him as the top ranked guy in the 2026 draft right now. Basically what you want in a modern day point guard. Fantastic scorer, and can set up teammates when needed. A lot of SGA to his game.

Generational talent does not mean generational player. 10 guys can be generational talens and one of them could become generational player.

[Ruma85]

No, not a "generational talent" (how can players be generational when someone calls a guy that almost every year? LOL), but I have him as the top ranked guy in the 2026 draft right now. Basically what you want in a modern day point guard. Fantastic scorer, and can set up teammates when needed. A lot of SGA to his game.

Generational talent does not mean generational player. 10 guys can be generational talens and one of them could become generational player.

It seems to be used loosely in Basketball compared to football.

[UcanUwill]

No, not a "generational talent" (how can players be generational when someone calls a guy that almost every year? LOL), but I have him as the top ranked guy in the 2026 draft right now. Basically what you want in a modern day point guard. Fantastic scorer, and can set up teammates when needed. A lot of SGA to his game.

Generational talent does not mean generational player. 10 guys can be generational talens and one of them could become generational player.

It seems to be used loosely in Basketball compared to football.

I am not disagreeing with that, but I am just saying. I don't even know this kid, but from what I heard, if he becomes generational superstar, would that be out of nowhere, probably not, which probably means he is generational talent. I am just saying, there will be more generational talents than generational players, most players never reach their full potential. Ansu Fati was probably generational talent, wouldn't you say so? But he is just one of countless generational talents that didn't become a superstar, same happens in basketball. ZIon was for sure generational talent, I would say even guy like Rubio was that.

[PlatinumState]

Honestly havent heard about him until about a month ago. Everyone's been talking about Dybantsa going #1 next year. But yeah, he seems great

[cupcakesnake]

He’s not generational. There is a reason a guy like Flagg got that tag. It’s because since he was 15, he was dominating people 2-3 years older than him, and not just in high school, look at what he did at the U-17 World Cup when he was just 15. Flagg then went on to win all the awards as a Senior in high school and had one of the best freshman seasons in the history of college ball.

This class has 3 good prospects (Peterson, AJ, Boozer). All 3 with legit question marks with them. You also have a big wildcard in Ament. If Boozer was 3 inches taller or more athletic, he’d probably get the generational label to him.

But ya I just think Peterson is your normal #1 ranked high school prospect. Not terrible, not elite, just a solidormal #1 prospect.

What are those questions marks for each? (I'm not really a draft guy anymore...)

I’d say Peterson’s biggest question marks are in a half court setting, he’s not super dynamic when it comes to creating space. He’s a good straight line athlete, but he lacks elite level wiggle and also doesn’t have the most dynamic handle. Which with those two things, his ability to create space in the half court is very inconsistent. He also has played in a role where he monopolizes the offense. He’s a ridiculously high usage guy. So you either have to project him as a Luka/Young/Harden kind of player. Or he will need to show off ball skills he’s never really shown before.

I have a wildly different read of Peterson. Specifically, I think his best attributes are his handle and wiggle. I don't remember the last time I've seen a 6'5" guard with long arms and that kind of ball control. The handle is so tight, he's got every dribble combination, and he plays low to the ground like Shai. His footwork while ball handling is incredible. He's out there punking defenses with his handles every night, and getting where he wants on the court. I think he's uniquely skilled at creating separation. The shooting touch on finishes also feel rare.

My only concern with him for now is wondering how well he scales up. Do all those tricks he uses to gain separation work as well as the defenders get bigger and more athletic? It's something we'll learn quickly watching him in college. He's a good athlete (first step, strong guard) but he's not bullying with force, even at the high school level. He has enough athleticism to compliment his game nicely, but that shift and first step need to be enough.

He reminds me of Cade and SGA.

[Ruma85]

Generational talent does not mean generational player. 10 guys can be generational talens and one of them could become generational player.

It seems to be used loosely in Basketball compared to football.

I am not disagreeing with that, but I am just saying. I don't even know this kid, but from what I heard, if he becomes generational superstar, would that be out of nowhere, probably not, which probably means he is generational talent. I am just saying, there will be more generational talents than generational players, most players never reach their full potential. Ansu Fati was probably generational talent, wouldn't you say so? But he is just one of countless generational talents that didn't become a superstar, same happens in basketball. ZIon was for sure generational talent, I would say even guy like Rubio was that.

It's true, I agree. It seems to be thrown out every year seems like in basketball compared to football.

[BigGargamel]

No, not a "generational talent" (how can players be generational when someone calls a guy that almost every year? LOL), but I have him as the top ranked guy in the 2026 draft right now. Basically what you want in a modern day point guard. Fantastic scorer, and can set up teammates when needed. A lot of SGA to his game.

Generational talent does not mean generational player. 10 guys can be generational talens and one of them could become generational player.

Generational talent/players to me means a once in a generation type prospect. Meaning every 10 years or so. Shaquille O'Neal. LeBron James. Victor Wembanyama. Those are generational talents. Guys who you just knew, without a shadow of a doubt, were going to change the game. The term is thrown around way too loosely when it comes to the NBA draft. Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, Zion Williamson, Cooper Flagg. All Star talents and prospects, but not generational.

[TheSuzerain]

He’s not generational. There is a reason a guy like Flagg got that tag. It’s because since he was 15, he was dominating people 2-3 years older than him, and not just in high school, look at what he did at the U-17 World Cup when he was just 15. Flagg then went on to win all the awards as a Senior in high school and had one of the best freshman seasons in the history of college ball.

This class has 3 good prospects (Peterson, AJ, Boozer). All 3 with legit question marks with them. You also have a big wildcard in Ament. If Boozer was 3 inches taller or more athletic, he’d probably get the generational label to him.

But ya I just think Peterson is your normal #1 ranked high school prospect. Not terrible, not elite, just a solidormal #1 prospect.

What are those questions marks for each? (I'm not really a draft guy anymore...)

I’d say Peterson’s biggest question marks are in a half court setting, he’s not super dynamic when it comes to creating space. He’s a good straight line athlete, but he lacks elite level wiggle and also doesn’t have the most dynamic handle. Which with those two things, his ability to create space in the half court is very inconsistent. He also has played in a role where he monopolizes the offense. He’s a ridiculously high usage guy. So you either have to project him as a Luka/Young/Harden kind of player. Or he will need to show off ball skills he’s never really shown before.

AJ: To often it becomes the AJ show. The potential is there, but he’s not yet consistent enough with his efficiency to pull off the “AJ show” as much as he does. You’re going to hear a lot of “he’s flashy, but does he actually play a winning style of basketball” talk with him.

Boozer: Sadly kind of just a tweener. Skill wise and production wise, he’s one of the most complete high school players ever. 6’9 elite rebounder who is an 80+% FT shooter and 40% 3pt shooter. Is viewed as the best outlet passer in high school since Kevin Love. The issue is, he’s 6’9 without the athleticism you want from a perimeter player. If he was 2-3 inches taller and more of a rim protector, or if he was like a Cooper Flagg level of athlete, he’d be viewed as a generational prospect. But he’s kind of in that, athleticism of a 5, but the skills of a 4.

Again to be clear, I think all 3 are very good prospects. But for that generational tag, you need to be AD, Flagg, KD and so on kind of prospect. Like Flagg was viewed as the best defensive high school prospect since AD. And he just averaged 19/7/4 on 48/38/84 shooting. Basically when people look at Flagg his flaws are very limited. Like his biggest flaw is that his handle isn’t the most dynamic. But it’s not like it’s a Jaylen Brown level bad handle either.

I think your scouting report on Peterson is way off. His hype is precisely because he's shown he can operate in the half court.

Obviously there's always translation risk going up to high major, so we'll see how he translates it.

The concern for me is his 3-ball looks way too flat at times, and he'll need to clean that up as pull-up 3's are essential to his desired archetype (high usage lead guard).