The Sacramento Kings and Darryn Peterson have been a popular projected pairing throughout the basketball season. 

Rightfully so, as the Kansas Jayhawks freshman scored at will in his collegiate debut. 

But as both Kings and Nets Roundtable have charted, other strong possibilities include Keaton Wagler of Illinois and Kingston Flemings from Houston. Especially within the top five selections as both are draft bound. We also identified Isaiah Evans of Duke and Zuby Ejiofor of St. John's as late round possibilities for the Kings. 

There's another reason why the above names are mentioned: Peterson is one of the more polarizing draft talents for the 2026 class. It's time to finally dive into if he really can fit the Kings. 

Peterson is a walking 20-point threat who can even surpass 30. 

Fans of CBB and the Jayhawks saw that multiple times. But we'll dive into how he earns his points. 

Peterson gets into an attack mode when he sees an open lane in the paint. He's instinctive toward the hoop and wants to finish in strong fashion, often resorting to highlight-reel dunks regardless of what venue he's playing in. 

Peterson is explosive in blow by situations where it's just him and the defender. He's shown off a strong sense of knowing which lane to attack too with the ball in his hand. But he's his own shot creator too who has hit defenders with step back threes and a quick release. 

Peterson is equipped with impressive hops. 

He times his leaps just right on shot blocks. He's equipped with a reported 6'10.5-inch wingspan that hands him the advantage on defense. 

Those arms are long enough to create steals then transition points too. 

We judge prospects more off how they perform against the toughest opponents on their schedule. 

Peterson averaged 20.2 points per game, and did it playing in the roughest conference in America the Big 12. 

But Peterson didn't always look dominant against stout competition. 

He scored just 16 against an Iowa State team that was No. 2 in the nation and went 6-of-15 from the floor, despite blowing out the Cyclones. He then got contained to 10 points in the rematch won by Iowa State.

Peterson later went 5-of-14 with 14 points against No. 5 Houston and Flemings despite winning that Feb. 23 game, then settled for the same amount in the blowout loss during the Big 12 Tournament. 

Some of those games witnessed Peterson not finishing the whole way, sparking the "cramping" and "conditioning" rumors. 

Talent wise Peterson can certainly play in the league. 

Teams should be more concerned for his bulk over the "cramping" issues. Peterson, should he officially announce for the draft, will need to add at least 15 pounds to his frame. Pro teams will have defenders throwing their elbows at him at a high rate to wear him down. 

For what it's worth, Sacramento looks better off nabbing a scoring point guard like Wagler or even Darius Acuff of Arkansas. Then hope Ejiofor falls out of the first round to address forward. 

Join our ROUNDTABLE community! It's free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members.

Download the free Roundtable APP, and stay even more connected!