Darryn Peterson, Kansas City standouts & other takeaways from NBA Draft Round 1
The NBA Draft began Tuesday night, with the Washington Wizards selecting AJ Dybantsa of BYU first and Kansas star Darryn Peterson going No. 2 overall.
Here are five takeaways after the first 30 picks — ahead of Wednesday evening’s Round 2...
1. Darryn Peterson picked in a perfect place
For much of the year, Darryn Peterson was expected to be selected first overall. In fact, the only team he worked out with was the Washington Wizards.
But they had other plans.
The Wizards selected Dybantsa, which means KU guard Peterson is off to Salt Lake City, over 1,000 miles away from Lawrence, to be the newest member of the Utah Jazz.
Though he didn’t get his wish of being the first name called, Peterson will fit perfectly with Utah. The Jazz needed a guard who can share some of the ball-handling responsibility with third-year guard Keyonte George, while also providing perimeter defense.
Jazz coach Will Hardy is one of the more innovative offensive minds in the NBA and is a fan of using a ton of off-ball screens in his sets.
Peterson thrived on those looks at Kansas, scoring just shy of a point per possession (0.970) when he came off of screens.
A projected lineup of George, Peterson, Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr, and Walker Kessler should be potent defensively, but will be in desperate need of playmaking. Peterson will have to look more like the playmaker he was in his final season at Prolific Prep, where he averaged 5.3 assists per game compared to 1.6 during his lone season in Lawrence.
2. Meteoric rise of Keaton Wagler is finally complete
In a calendar year, Keaton Wagler went from the 247Sports Composite’s No. 261-ranked recruit to the best player on a Final Four team — to being selected fifth overall by the Los Angeles Clippers.
His meteoric rise sees him land in Hollywood with a Clippers team on the last legs of the Kawhi Leonard era. Los Angeles lucked into this pick when it traded center Ivica Zubac for a protected (1-4 and 10-30) first-round pick.
The pick came down to a coin flip, and it landed on an intriguing prospect from the KC area.
Now, he’ll try to lead Los Angeles on its own meteoric rise as the Clippers leave behind an era marked by injuries, disappointment and embarrassment.
3. Bennett Stirtz will help Thunder return to mountaintop
Former Liberty High School and Northwest Missouri State star Bennett Stirtz wore a Memphis Grizzlies hat when he shook the NBA commissioner’s hand, but he’ll start his NBA career a bit closer to home, as the Oklahoma City Thunder gave up two second-round picks and a pick swap to move up and select him at No. 16.
The last time the Thunder made such a move was in the 2024 draft, when general manager Sam Presti traded two second-round picks and cash considerations to move up and select guard Ajay Mitchell with the 38th pick.
Mitchell was instrumental in the Thunder’s run to the Western Conference Finals in the absence of All-NBA forward Jalen Williams.
Oklahoma City’s decision to give up assets to get Stirtz makes it clear that they were targeting him, and he has the potential to be an impact player in the same way Mitchell was this past season.
The Thunder’s most glaring issues in 2025-26 were a lack of secondary ball-handling next to back-to-back MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and volume shooting from the perimeter.
Stirtz, who averaged five assists (with only 1.9 turnovers) and shot 37% from 3 on nearly six attempts per game, will help solve both of those issues.
4. Big 12 shows out in a big way
Nine players from the Big 12 were selected in the first round, including four in the top 10. The nine first-round selections marked the most in conference history, eclipsing the previous record of seven set in 2010.
The picks were: BYU’s Dybantsa; KU’s Peterson; Houston guard Kingston Flemings and big man Chris Cenac; Arizona guard Brayden Burries and forward Koa Peat; Texas Tech guard Christian Anderson; Baylor wing Cameron Carr; and Iowa State forward Joshua Jefferson.
It’s fair to note that the conference expanded to 16 teams in 2024, but it was nevertheless an impressive showing from one of the nation’s premier leagues.
5. Michigan makes its mark
Michigan’s frontcourt trio, which dominated college basketball on the way to an NCAA Championship, won again Tuesday night.
The party started with a surprise.
Morez Johnson, who was consistently projected to be the last of the trio to be selected, heard his name called first, as the Dallas Mavericks — who hired coach Dusty May from Michigan on Monday — used the ninth overall pick on the power forward.
Two picks later, Yaxel Lendeborg began to shed a few tears as he heard his name called. He’ll be joining the Golden State Warriors as they aim to compete for one last title before Stephen Curry retires.
A pick later, he was all smiles.
It was Aday Mara’s turn. The 7-3 Spaniard is headed to Oklahoma City to likely back up Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein for 15 minutes a night.
After bullying college basketball, the trio and their coach now look to take on the NBA.