In ESPN's latest NBA mock draft, the Indiana Pacers secure the No. 2 overall pick and select Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, one spot after the Washington Wizards take BYU forward AJ Dybantsa.
To most, the grand prize in this year's draft is Dybantsa, who is an athletic freak who can do just about everything at a high level. But if the Pacers end up with Peterson instead, that is a pretty strong consolation prize.
The Pacers land Darryn Peterson in ESPN's latest mock draft
There's a fair debate about who the best player is in this year's draft between Dybantsa, Peterson, Cameron Boozer of Duke, and maybe even UNC's Caleb Wilson. If Indiana can land any of them, it will be worthy of a celebration. But there are some specific reasons to like the Kansas guard the most.
For starters, Peterson is far and away the best shot creator in this year's class (and given that the Pacers are in desperate need of one after trading Bennedict Mathurin to the Los Angeles Clippers in February, this would make him an incredible addition for them).
In his lone season at Kansas, the Ohio native averaged 20.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.4 steals while shooting 43.8% from the field and 38.2% from deep. He has some concerns (durability, can be streaky, isn't much of a playmaker), but the pros heavily outweigh the cons, and he would be a great pickup for the Pacers.
Darryn Peterson would be great alongside Tyrese Haliburton
The biggest appeal of Peterson potentially making his way to Indiana is his pairing alongside Tyrese Haliburton (eventually -- he would likely come off the bench for most of, if not his entire rookie season). He would be a fantastic complement to the Wisconsin native because he can take a lot of pressure off of him as a legitimate scorer/shot creator while also providing solid defense.
Additionally, Peterson is fantastic at getting to the paint, which is another area the Pacers need to address with the absence of Mathurin.
In Indiana, Peterson would likely be utilized mostly as a shooting guard next to Haliburton, or even Andrew Nembhard or T.J. McConnell. And in many ways, this might be the best move for him anyway in order to maximize his full potential and play to his strengths as much as possible.
The 19-year-old has a ton of talent, and we might be talking about him as the best player in this draft years down the line (trust me, that's saying something). If the Pacers end up with him on their roster, it will pay dividends for the short- and long-term as they look to be in the title pictures for years to come.
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