Everyone knows Kansas has one of the top prospects in the 2026 NBA Draft class on its roster.
Darryn Peterson has been stellar to start his college career, but the potential No. 1 overall selection has missed the Jayhawks’ last two contests. As a result, other members of Bill Self’s squad have picked up the slack in Peterson’s absence.
Kansas is still in its non-conference schedule, and the team has still been able to pick up a few big wins even without Peterson. Most recently, the team defeated Princeton 76-57 on Saturday behind a big performance from sophomore Flory Bidunga.
Against the Tigers, Bidunga notched 25 points, 10 rebounds, an assist, 3 blocks and a steal while shooting 10-of-11 from the field and 5-of-6 from the free throw line in 27 minutes on the floor.
Through four games this season, the sophomore is averaging 17 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 2.5 blocks while shooting 76.3% from the field.
After averaging 16.3 minutes per game across 34 appearances for the Jayhawks as a true freshman in 2024-25, the former five-star prospect put himself on NBA Draft radars heading into the season.
With a strong start to the year, Bidunga could be on the way to securing a spot in the 2026 draft class, but the talented big man will need to continue his solid campaign into Big 12 play.
Listed at 6-foot-10 and 235 pounds, Bidunga has good size on the interior to go along with his production so far this season. Last year, the highly touted recruit averaged 5.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game for the Jayhawks.
Coming out of high school, Bidunga was rated the No. 14 overall prospect and No. 4 center in the 2024 recruiting class, according to 247Sports. The sophomore big man was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and moved to Indiana when he was 15.
Just a few years later, Bidunga was named a McDonald’s All-American. Of course, Bidunga will shoulder less of the load on offense when Peterson returns, but if the big man can play his role well, he could find a spot in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Alongside Bidunga, Tre White stepped up for Kansas with Peterson out of the lineup. White was the Jayhawks’ only other player to reach double figures against Princeton, scoring 18 points while shooting 4-of-7 from the field and 10-of-13 from the free throw line.
The senior added 8 rebounds and a steal in addition to committing 0 turnovers.
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