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Kansas freshman guard Darryn Peterson, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, is set to return against Missouri on Sunday after missing his team's last seven games due to a hamstring injury. Peterson has not played since Kansas faced North Carolina last month. The Jayhawks have gone 5-2 without Peterson in the lineup, with losses coming against Duke and UConn.

"He should be available unless he has a setback before game time," Kansas coach Bill Self told reporters on Friday.

Peterson, one of the most highly touted guard prospects to come out of the high school ranks in years, made his collegiate debut against Green Bay last month, finishing with 21 points, four rebounds and three assists. Against North Carolina on the road, Peterson scored 22 points in a 87-74 loss.

Self told reporters last month that Peterson's hamstring issue had been lingering for "weeks," but he played through it in the early part of the season. Notably, Peterson didn't finish an exhibition game against Louisville due to a cramping issue and also exited the second half against Green Bay due to cramps.

2026 NBA Draft: 10 observations from a loaded Players Era event in Las Vegas
Adam Finkelstein
2026 NBA Draft: 10 observations from a loaded Players Era event in Las Vegas

What makes Darryn Peterson an elite NBA prospect?

Peterson started to create some separation among his peers to become the NBA's No. 1 overall pick in the summer. However, if you ask 10 people who follow the draft closely to predict the first three picks in the draft, you might get 10 different answers. While the top pick has been dominated by forwards, wings and bigs in recent years, Peterson has a chance to become the exception.

In CBS Sports' NBA Draft prospect rankings by Adam Finkelstein, Peterson was ranked No. 1, ahead of BYU's AJ Dybantsa and Duke's Cameron Boozer -- both of whom are wings/forwards at the NBA level.

He finished as the top-ranked prospect in last year's recruiting class and begins this draft cycle in the same place. Peterson is a big, playmaking guard who continues to improve each year. His overlap of positional size, length, strength and shot creation is unmatched in this class. In fact, he may be the best domestic guard we've seen in several draft cycles. If the shot-making we've seen early on at Kansas proves sustainable, he could be even better than expected. 

The last guard taken with the No. 1 pick was Cade Cunningham in 2021. Since 2010, only six prospects who have gone No. 1 have been classified as a guard. Although Cooper Flagg has been utilized as a point guard through the first few weeks his NBA career by the Dallas Mavericks, he is a traditional wing at the NBA level.

Part of the intrigue around Peterson is his potential to be a volume scorer at the NBA level. Peterson is also a talented defensive prospect who can defend at a high level because of his size and athleticism. But what stands out the most -- and why he may ultimately go No. 1 -- is his shot making that is second to none in this class. 

Peterson has all the makings to be an elite scorer at the next level.