Kansas shooting guard edges BYU forward in early voting as scouts remain split 51-49 on college basketball’s most elite prospect showdown
The debate is on. Darryn Peterson and AJ Dybantsa are locked in a tight race for the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NBA draft, and when ESPN polled 20 NBA scouts and executives to gauge the early consensus, the results showed just how close this decision truly is. Peterson received 12 votes for the top spot. Dybantsa received eight. That’s not a landslide. That’s a rigorous debate that will define the draft conversation for the next several months.
“It’s so close,” a veteran NBA executive told ESPN. “I’m saying 51% to 49%, just barely. I just feel like there’s a little bit more potential with AJ Dybantsa as a player who makes others better. But if you call me on March 1, I could tell you that I changed my mind.”
That’s the reality of this decision. Scouts aren’t confident. They’re divided. They’re genuinely uncertain whether Peterson’s rare offensive genius or Dybantsa’s two-way elite potential represents the safer pick at the most important selection in any draft. The uncertainty is so profound that one decision-maker acknowledged he could change his mind within weeks.
Peterson, the 6-foot-6 Kansas shooting guard, has generated the most buzz so far. One veteran scout made the comparison that will define Peterson’s evaluation moving forward: “He makes things look so effortless, it’s unbelievable. His shotmaking is unmatched. He’s the closest thing to Kobe Bryant I’ve seen since Kobe in terms of shotmaking and ability to create his own shot. He’s not the same athlete as Kobe, but no one is. He’s really special.”
That’s Kobe-level praise for shotmaking. That’s not hyperbole in scouting circles. That’s a professional evaluation comparing Peterson’s offensive creation skills to one of the greatest scorers in NBA history. When scouts start making those kinds of comparisons, it means they’re seeing something genuinely rare.
But Dybantsa, the 6-foot-9 BYU forward, offers something different and potentially more valuable in today’s NBA. He’s the only prospect in this debate who scouts believe has a realistic chance to be elite on both ends of the floor. Dybantsa is scoring 23.6 points per game while snagging 6.7 rebounds and dishing 3.6 assists. He’s been available for all 20 of BYU’s games. He’s been durable, productive, and consistent.
Peterson, meanwhile, is averaging 21.6 points per game in just 27.2 minutes which suggests even higher scoring efficiency while also averaging 4.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists. He’s shooting an impressive 42% from three-point range. But there’s a caveat: he’s missed nine games over two separate stretches earlier in the season with a hamstring issue, and he missed the Kansas State game last Saturday with an ankle sprain.
When Offensive Genius Meets Two-Way Upside
The core debate between these two players represents a fundamental split in how scouts evaluate top-tier talent. Do you take Peterson’s “championship-level shot creator” potential, as one scout described it? Or do you take Dybantsa’s all-around elite potential?
One scout summed up the Dybantsa case perfectly: “He’s the only one who has a chance to be elite on both ends.” That’s the essence of the argument for the BYU forward. In a modern NBA that values defense, playmaking, and all-around impact, Dybantsa offers the floor to potentially affect winning at multiple levels. He can score, rebound, assist, and defend. He’s not a specialist. He’s a complete player.
Peterson represents the flip side of that argument. He’s a scoring menace. One scout acknowledged the durability concerns but remained committed to Peterson’s offensive upside: “I don’t like the drama of playing and not playing. But he’s a scoring menace. He’s just a killer offensively.”
That’s the risk with Peterson. The injury concerns the hamstring issues, the ankle sprain, the cramping management—create questions about his ability to stay on the floor. But when he is on the floor, he’s operating at a level that scouts compare to Kobe Bryant. That combination of elite offense and durability questions makes him a polarizing prospect.
The Saturday Matchup as Evaluation Opportunity
Neither scout mentioned Duke’s Cam Boozer or North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson as their top pick, though multiple scouts acknowledged having both in the conversation about the No. 1 selection. The debate, it seems, has narrowed to Peterson versus Dybantsa.
This weekend, when No. 13 BYU visits No. 14 Kansas for their first collegiate matchup, at least 32 NBA front office personnel from 17 different teams will be in attendance. Seven general managers or decision-makers are expected to attend. The Hawks are sending five representatives. The Pacers are sending six. The Nets and Wizards are each sending three scouts or executives.
They’re not coming for a casual college basketball game. They’re coming to see if Peterson can perform at his highest level after missing time with the ankle sprain. They’re coming to evaluate how these two elite prospects perform against each other on the biggest stage either has competed on. They’re coming to try to answer the question that’s dividing the scouting community: Who should be No. 1?
