AJ Dybantsa drops 27 points in summer league debut

Dybantsa, the first overall pick in June’s draft, sprained his left ankle during the second quarter of Friday’s preseason finale. Wizards head coach Brian Keefe said after the game that the rookie did not return out of precaution. The Wizards open their regular season on Wednesday against the Bucks, so Dybantsa will have a few days to rehab the ankle.

Dybantsa, the number one overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, hit just 3-of-8 first-half shot attempts, but got to the charity stripe for 10 free-throw attempts as he finished in double figures as a starter for the second straight preseason contest. The 19-year-old prodigy will experience the typical ebbs and flows that most rookies endure, but he offers enough scoring and rebounding upside that he’s worthy of a speculative mid-to-late round-pick in most redraft leagues.

Dybantsa made his preseason NBA debut on Thursday as a starter for the Wizards. Khris Middleton didn’t play against the Knicks, but it’s hard to imagine a scenario where the Wizards’ first overall pick from this past summer won’t start on Opening Night. Dybantsa’s athleticism and offensive tools make him an enticing prospect, and his four steals on Thursday shouldn’t be overlooked. He won’t do that consistently, but pressuring passing lanes is another of Dybantsa’s strengths.

Given how well Dybantsa played in his two appearances in Las Vegas, this was the expected conclusion for the first overall pick in last month’s draft. The 6-foot-9 forward totaled 50 points in his two appearances, most recently recording a 23/7/2/3/2 line in Sunday’s win over the Kings. Dybantsa being ruled out for the rest of summer league will allow the other young Wizards more room to show what they can provide. Fantasy-wise, Dybantsa should be one of the first rookies off the board in drafts, regardless of league format. Will Riley and Tre Johnson are also done for the summer.

Dybantsa entered the 2025-26 season as one of the top prospects in this draft class, and his lone season at BYU did no harm to that status. The 6-foot-9 wing averaged 25.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.4 three-pointers last season, earning consensus first-team All-America honors. Dybantsa shot 51.0 percent from the field, 33.1 percent from three and 77.4 percent from the foul line. An excellent athlete who can score on all three levels and provide some playmaking, Dybantsa needs to become a more consistent three-point shooter. That said, he projects to be a franchise cornerstone for years to come. He’ll join a core in Washington that features young studs Alex Sarr, Tre Johnson and Kyshawn George, as well as veteran stars Trae Young and Anthony Davis. Dybantsa should start from day one and be a strong scoring option.

Acquired from the Hawks in early January, Young appeared in five games for the Wizards before being shut down in mid-March. Had he opted into the final season of his contract, the point guard would have earned nearly $49 million. And this may not be a case in which Young is opting out to negotiate a deal with the Wizards that would give the team more cap space. According to the report, there’s a belief that “multiple teams” will show interest in signing Young. Washington is perceived to be the favorite to sign Young, but that isn’t guaranteed. The question is whether this will affect how the Wizards view the first overall pick in next week’s draft. BYU’s AJ Dybantsa is considered the favorite to go first, but Kansas’ Darryn Peterson has refused to work out for any team other than the Wizards.

While Peterson is one of the top prospects in this draft class, most have assumed that BYU’s AJ Dybantsa will be the first overall pick in next week’s draft. However, the former Kansas guard is reportedly operating as if he only has eyes for Washington, refusing to meet with the other teams at the top of the draft lottery. Utah, which picks second, dealt with a similar situation last summer, but it did not keep them from selecting Ace Bailey fifth overall. Whether Washington’s acquisition of Trae Young will affect their thinking regarding Peterson is unknown, but the most recent reports make it clear that the 6-foot-5 guard wants to hear his name called first overall.