I’m going to proceed with caution here. I promise.

I know nothing of the conversations happening inside the KU Basketball offices right now — I can’t imagine it’s a Chill Sitch. KU, with a little chip-in from Adidas, has put a ton of resources behind getting Darryn Peterson on the floor for us, and if he might about to be shut down for the year, the relationship has been a disappointment, full stop. Again, I know nothing, just going through the exercise here.

Not so fast, though! As I’ve written again and again, I am fascinated by the saga. KU has never had a freshman with this much of a modern pro pedigree, including Wiggins, Embiid, whoever you want to pick there. Peterson can’t stay on the court, can’t move effectively and … scouts do not seem to care. From an ESPN article yesterday:

"To me he's No. 1 and I don't know what scenario [the others] can get to that would have me bump [him down]. He's so cold and collected and poised and consistent. Even Darryn's tough nights to me are incredibly productive."

Another scout, about if he’s concerned about Peterson’s nagging injuries:

"That was never going to stop anyone from drafting him," one scout said. "You just have to talk to your doctors and if your doctors think you can manage it. Everyone's got their medical teams. As long as it's not like a damning injury, he's still going top two."

That sure sounds like they don’t care!

Let’s look at this from Peterson’s side. The dude already has the tape, and he and his team know it. While pulling out this early is definitely a bad look, it’ll only take seven months of his first NBA season to eclipse his playing career at KU. We can be realistic about where his loyalties might be a year, two years from now.

The first pick’s first NBA contract guarantees $13M the first year and $14M in the second before a team option or extension. That number instant puts that person among the top 100 or so earners in the entire league. Not that KU’s kick is a pittance, because it’s still an enormous amount of money for a college basketball player, but Peterson has massive financial incentive to be in the top 2 or 3 picks. It’s hard to ignore this.

I don’t think he’s done playing, unless something larger is underlying the leg issues. That’s out of our control. Peterson also has an opportunity to truly break out in a way few can — I think of Zion Williamson’s single season at Duke in terms of similar potential impact.

That season (and the hype surrounding it) made Zion a household name far before he hit the league. Zion, despite never getting on the court for his early seasons, still secured a 5-year, $197M rookie extension. That path is right in front of Peterson, and two things can be true — he could sizzle in conference and the tournament, building an even bigger platform than the one he has now.

Both player and program can still win. Let’s hold onto that thought for dear life. See you soon DP.

BASKETBALL!

Nine threes? Boy, this was a fun one. It drew (rightful) comparisons to the famous Elijah Johnson “Too Strong!” game at Iowa State, where KU’s sneaky X-factor poured in 39. Council is not a shooter, but he’s a hooper. He found a rhythm, caught fire, couldn’t miss. It was awesome to watch, even if that kind of shooting performance isn’t something we can bank on going forward.

The offense still struggles to make use of space the half-court offense can create. The Hawks were shooting it pretty well before deep, which the percentage doesn’t suggest thanks to some late chucks from deep bench guys.

I think of the dribble handoffs like an NFL team sending a man in motion — it’s a good way to suss out what the defense is doing, where they’re shading, and create mismatches on switches. It’s something Self has relied on, even though KU has struggled to determine advantages through those actions.

That approach isn’t creating enough advantages right now. I have been extremely impressed by Tre White’s all around game — 16-6-5 with two blocks against Towson, 12-6-3 in the NC State game. The slashes are nice, right up against 50/40/90 territory. KU needs to manufacture ways to get him more directly involved on offense, rather than relying on the game coming to him and White doing the work.

Teams will expect Council to shoot closer to his percentages, and someone needs to fill the space there. KU has some emerging guys that can step in here, as they get more experience. I believe that. Hang in there.