Why Taylen Kinney refers to former KU star Darryn Peterson as his ‘big brother’
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Taylen Kinney calls Darryn Peterson his "big brother" and seeks his advice.
- Peterson averaged 20.2 points and 4.2 rebounds while shooting 38.2% on 3s last season.
- Pro scouts say Peterson likely will not fall past the No. 2 pick in the June draft.
As former Kansas Jayhawks men’s basketball star Darryn Peterson makes his way through the NBA Draft process and prepares for the next step of his career, incoming KU player Taylen Kinney is paying close attention.
Like Peterson, Kinney has aspirations of being a one-and-done in Lawrence.
Peterson averaged 20.2 points and 4.2 rebounds while shooting 43.8% from the field and 38.2% on 3-pointers for the Jayhawks last season. He remains in contention to become the No. 1 pick in the June 23-24 NBA Draft.
Pro scouts and evaluators have told The Star it’s unlikely Peterson falls past the No. 2 pick. And there’s belief within his own camp that he won’t drop past No. 3.
Kinney is paying close attention.
“He’s like a big brother, role-model type,” Kinney told The Star. “I ask him for advice all the time. We’ve got a great relationship.”
That close relationship played a factor in Kinney’s choice of Kansas as his college destination.
“That’s just the type of guy I am,” Peterson said last fall of his influence in Kinney’s decision-making process. “The respect I’ve got for the coaches and the guys that are coming after me. TK (Taylen Kinney), I’ve got a relationship with. So I was honest with him.”
And as for what Peterson told Kinney?
“DP (Peterson) told me to come and hoop 10 months and then get to the league (NBA),” Kinney has told The Star. “I mean, that’s what he’s going to do.”
Kinney said he spoke with Peterson and former OTE Atlanta teammates Bryson Tiller and Samis Calderon throughout the past year.
“I talked to a couple of different players — I had a good relationship with BT and Samis,” Kinney said. “They all loved it. They all loved it. They just had to find other opportunities that worked for them.
Peterson also helped recruit Kinney’s close friend and No. 1 overall class of 2026 prospect Tyran Stokes to Lawrence. NBA scouts believe that Stokes will be in strong contention to be the No. 1 overall selection in the 2027 NBA Draft.
An NBA scout told The Star that Stokes’ play-style evokes shades of NBA star and former No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham — think similarities in size, athleticism, rebounding and ability to lead the fast break.
Like Cunningham, Stokes usually makes the right play with the ball in his hands, the scout noted.
Of course, there is some college basketball to be played before Stokes can make his own leap to the NBA. Kinney knows the pair must show out for not only KU, but also the pro evaluators, during the 2026-27 season.
“Win games,” Kinney said. “That’s the biggest thing we need to do is just win games. Compete at a high level and show people that we are winners.”
