KU hoops coach Bill Self compares Jayhawks newcomer Tyran Stokes & Darryn Peterson
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Self said KU got the best player both last year and this year, with caveat about injuries.
- Peterson averaged 20.2 points and 4.2 rebounds while dealing with injuries.
- A scout told The Star Stokes would be in play at No. 4 or 5 in the draft.
Kansas Jayhawks men’s basketball coach Bill Self knows that KU newcomer Tyran Stokes and former KU standout Darryn Peterson are very different players.
That said, one thing is clear.
“I thought last year we got the best player,” Self said of landing Peterson as a one-and-done for the 2025-26 season. “This year, I thought we got the best player. And I think it definitely would have played out to be that, if you would have had Darryn be at full capacity.”
To Self’s point, Peterson had a roller-coaster lone year in Lawrence due to injuries. He still averaged 20.2 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. He shot 43.8% from the field, including 38.2% on 3-pointers.
KU’s season ended in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, when the Jayhawks lost to St. John’s on a buzzer-beater. Despite that, Peterson still has a chance to be selected No. 1 overall in next week’s NBA Draft.
As for where Stokes would rank in this draft class?
“He’s not in that tier,” an NBA scout told The Star in April. “I wouldn’t even put him with Caleb Wilson or (Cam) Boozer. He would be in play at No. 4 or 5 in this draft, I think.”
Self drilled down a bit on the two standouts’ respective styles of play.
“They’re different,” Self said. “One’s a shooter-scorer; the other one is all-around, do a little bit of everything.”
Noted the NBA scout: “I like that he got better every time I saw him, whether it was small steps in his shooting, constantly becoming a better handler or showing he was taking steps with his passing. You can tell he really works on his game and puts time into his craft.”
According to another source, Stokes’ transition to Lawrence has gone smoothly. And he has looked as good as advertised.
That’s important as Stokes and close friend and fellow newcomer KU guard Taylen Kinney have high expectations for their time in Lawrence. No matter how long it might last.
“We want to win so bad,” Kinney told The Star in May. “I think we will do whatever it takes to get past that first (weekend of the NCAA Tournament).
“Our goal is a national championship. We don’t have anything else in mind than winning a national championship.”
This story was originally published June 17, 2026 at 1:25 PM.
