{"id":1999234,"date":"2026-06-19T09:00:42","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T06:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1999234"},"modified":"2026-06-19T09:00:42","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T06:00:42","slug":"2026-nba-draft-confidential-coaches-scouts-execs-on-aj-dybantsa-top-wing-prospects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1999234","title":{"rendered":"2026 NBA Draft confidential: Coaches, scouts, execs on AJ Dybantsa, top wing prospects"},"content":{"rendered":"
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They are known, now, by many in the analytics crowd, as \u201capex predators.\u201d Yes, it\u2019s a lift from the animal world. Think orcas or lions or polar bears. They have no natural enemies, because who would be stupid enough to take on a killer whale that has home-ocean advantage?<\/a><\/p>\n

In the NBA, it refers to the game\u2019s top offensive killers \u2014 the players who put immense pressure on defenses, game after game, with their ability to score both in the midrange and behind the 3-point line, along with a proclivity to get to the rim and draw fouls. No matter where they are on the court, the defense shades their way. Their presence opens up driving lanes and creates open looks for teammates. Small guards can certainly score in the NBA, but they have limitations of strength and size. Even superstars such as Nikola Joki\u0107 or Giannis Antetokounmpo have to pick their spots on the floor. They don\u2019t rain 3-pointers on you.<\/p>\n

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Meanwhile, the likes of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Don\u010di\u0107, Anthony Edwards, Kawhi Leonard and Jayson Tatum go wherever they like.<\/p>\n

In this year\u2019s draft, which is very deep at the top, two players seem to have that kind of apex potential: BYU forward AJ Dybantsa and Kansas guard Darryn Peterson. It\u2019s why the two have been linked together the last couple of years as their draft day neared.<\/p>\n

We looked at Peterson in the first installment of this year\u2019s Draft Confidential<\/a>. Today, it\u2019s the 19-year-old Dybantsa: born in Boston and raised in nearby Brockton, Mass., but who\u2019s played the last couple of years in Utah, first for Utah Prep in high school, then for the Cougars.<\/p>\n

But Dybantsa is only the best-known of multiple forward\/wing prospects, one or two of whom should crack the lottery, amid the numerous guards expected to go early in the first round.<\/p>\n

The annual reminder: This is not a comprehensive listing of every potential draftee. I don\u2019t want to TL;DR<\/i>\u00a0you to death, and I cover other stuff, too. Our guy Sam Vecenie has the exhaustive compilation, as always, in his amazing annual NBA Draft Guide<\/a>. This should serve as a complementary piece, with raw data from coaches and scouts and executives. I give them anonymity; they give me the truth, good and bad. Sometimes it comes across as harsh in the written word, but most people in this business are neither blindly loyal to players nor hopelessly misanthropic about them. They are trained to see players as ever-evolving, with strengths and weaknesses. The big question is how much a kid is willing to work to get better, and that\u2019s the thing none of them know for sure.<\/p>\n

This is the NBA version of what Bruce Feldman does every year in the college football space for us at The Athletic<\/em>: getting intel from the ground on the top NFL prospects every year, laying it out in pre-draft columns or mock drafts <\/a>and complementing the annual, insanely encyclopedic summary that is Dane Brugler\u2019s Beast.<\/a><\/p>\n

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(Heights listed are from the official measurements taken of the players at the pre-draft combine in Chicago in May.)<\/p>\n

Jaylen Brown 2.0?<\/h2>\n

He has more than 930,000 followers on IG<\/a> and almost half a million on TikTok. He goes viral when he goes wild watching the final seconds<\/a> of the New York Knicks\u2019 improbable Game 4 comeback win over the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals \u2026 and when he has no visible on-camera reaction at all<\/a>. This might matter more if Anicet \u201cAJ\u201d Dybantsa Jr. couldn\u2019t hoop as well as he does. <\/em><\/p>\n

The BYU freshman led the nation in scoring in his one season in the Wasatch, displaying a rare ability to cook from just about all over the floor and continuing his rise toward stardom in the pros. He is plenty athletic, but his game isn\u2019t based on verticality. He has footwork and is strong enough to take contact and draw fouls; Dybantsa also led the nation in free-throw attempts with 296. At 6-8 1\/2, 217 pounds, with a 7-0 1\/2-inch wingspan, he has more than enough size and length to translate to the NBA game. <\/em><\/p>\n

There are questions, though. He wasn\u2019t as impactful defensively at BYU as someone with his physical gifts should have been, and he only shot 33 percent on 3s. That percentage and volume (4.2 per game) will need to increase. But he doesn\u2019t duck the notion of seeking to be great. It\u2019s clear that he wants the smoke that comes with being the No. 1 pick. A lot of NBA people compare the 19-year-old Dybantsa to the Celtics\u2019 Jaylen Brown, who just happens to have a finals MVP award in his possession. If that\u2019s the case, either the Washington Wizards, with the first pick, or the Utah Jazz, picking second, will have a whole different kind of player on their roster.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Why AJ Dybansta is the no. 1 prospect in this year’s NBA Draft<\/div>\n
Sam Vecenie<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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