{"id":2036756,"date":"2026-07-10T12:44:35","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T09:44:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2036756"},"modified":"2026-07-10T12:44:35","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T09:44:35","slug":"aj-dybantsa-looked-like-a-leading-man-on-the-first-night-of-his-professional-basketball-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2036756","title":{"rendered":"AJ Dybantsa looked like a leading man on the first night of his professional basketball life"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"Article_ContentContainer__jBNW3 article-content-container bodytext1\">\n<p>LAS VEGAS \u2014 Well, now.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas &amp; Mack Center saw the latest iteration of \u201cWho\u2019s Next\u201d in the NBA on Thursday. For the first time in almost a generation, the Washington Wizards had the guy at the forefront of the debate.<\/p>\n<p>AJ Dybantsa\u2019s first night in a Wizards uniform produced electricity that hasn\u2019t been seen in a Washington player or in a Washington game in a good, <em>good<\/em> long while. And it made the three years of tanking, the last producing enough ping-pong balls following a 17-65 season, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7268415\/2026\/05\/10\/wizards-nba-draft-lottery-2026-aj-dybansta\/\">for Washington to<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7268415\/2026\/05\/10\/wizards-nba-draft-lottery-2026-aj-dybansta\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">win May\u2019s lottery and get the No. 1 pick.<\/a> There was never much doubt whom the Wizards were going to take.<\/p>\n<p>Thursday showed everyone why.<\/p>\n<div data-ath-video-stream=\"7K5BITb91D6PBCY\">\n<div class=\"VideoHost_Root__QeM_i\">\n<div class=\"VideoHost_VideoWidth__XjNKI VideoHost_Portrait__XBaJC\">\n<div class=\"VideoTitleFrame_Root__AGckL\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"VideoTitleFrame_Title__npf3B\">Watch This: AJ Dybantsa with the strong Summer League slam in his debut<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"VideoTitleFrame_VideoWrapper__Xgp47\">{&#8220;@context&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/schema.org&#8221;,&#8221;@type&#8221;:&#8221;VideoObject&#8221;,&#8221;@id&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/video\/7K5BITb91D6PBCY\/&#8221;,&#8221;url&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/video\/7K5BITb91D6PBCY\/&#8221;,&#8221;name&#8221;:&#8221;Watch This: AJ Dybantsa with the strong Summer League slam in his debut&#8221;,&#8221;uploadDate&#8221;:&#8221;2026-07-10T02:29:59.651Z&#8221;,&#8221;duration&#8221;:&#8221;PT28S&#8221;,&#8221;thumbnailUrl&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/cdn-media.theathletic.com\/video-stream\/auto-thumbnail\/7K5BITb91D6PBCY\/6JCx8Tqfquzv.0000000.jpg&#8221;,&#8221;contentUrl&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/video.nyt.com\/athletic\/streams\/7K5BITb91D6PBCY\/6JCx8Tqfquzv\/6JCx8Tqfquzv.m3u8&#8243;,&#8221;transcript&#8221;:&#8221;Livingston. Taboo, 3 on the timer, takes it. Number 1 pick AJ Devana. My goodness. He leaves Cody Williams in the rearview again meeting defenders at the cup. They don&#8217;t look like they want any part of him.&#8221;,&#8221;ineligibleRegion&#8221;:[&#8220;BI&#8221;,&#8221;BY&#8221;,&#8221;CD&#8221;,&#8221;CF&#8221;,&#8221;CU&#8221;,&#8221;IQ&#8221;,&#8221;IR&#8221;,&#8221;KP&#8221;,&#8221;LB&#8221;,&#8221;LY&#8221;,&#8221;ML&#8221;,&#8221;NI&#8221;,&#8221;RU&#8221;,&#8221;SD&#8221;,&#8221;SO&#8221;,&#8221;SS&#8221;,&#8221;SY&#8221;,&#8221;UA&#8221;,&#8221;VE&#8221;,&#8221;YE&#8221;,&#8221;ZW&#8221;],&#8221;publisher&#8221;:{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;NewsMediaOrganization&#8221;,&#8221;@id&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/#publisher&#8221;,&#8221;name&#8221;:&#8221;The Athletic&#8221;,&#8221;url&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/&#8221;,&#8221;foundingDate&#8221;:&#8221;2016-01-25&#8243;,&#8221;logo&#8221;:{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;ImageObject&#8221;,&#8221;@id&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/theathletic.com\/app\/themes\/athletic\/assets\/img\/the-athletic-wordmark-black.png&#8221;,&#8221;url&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/theathletic.com\/app\/themes\/athletic\/assets\/img\/the-athletic-wordmark-black.png&#8221;,&#8221;contentUrl&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/theathletic.com\/app\/themes\/athletic\/assets\/img\/the-athletic-wordmark-black.png&#8221;,&#8221;creditText&#8221;:&#8221;The Athletic&#8221;,&#8221;height&#8221;:&#8221;60&#8243;,&#8221;width&#8221;:&#8221;435&#8243;},&#8221;publishingPrinciples&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/edit-guidelines\/&#8221;,&#8221;sameAs&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Athletic&#8221;},&#8221;author&#8221;:[{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;Person&#8221;,&#8221;name&#8221;:&#8221;The Athletic Staff&#8221;}]}<\/p>\n<div class=\"AspectRatioBox_root__AKv5b\" style=\"aspect-ratio:9 \/ 16;max-height:min(100%)\">\n<div class=\"AspectRatioBox_inner__86C_2\" style=\"aspect-ratio:9 \/ 16\">\n<div class=\"VideoStreamPlayer_GridStack__2H0p2\"><video preload=\"metadata\"><\/video><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Dybantsa had 27 points, seven rebounds, two steals and two assists in the Wizards\u2019 92-88 win over the Utah Jazz. He was dynamic. He was aggressive.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-container\">\n<div class=\"ad-wrapper article-treatment\">\n<div class=\"ad-slug-container\">\n<p class=\"ad-slug\">Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"mid1\" data-position=\"mid1\" class=\"ad place-ad\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s got his own shoe already?\u201d a stunned Paul Pierce, the Hall of Famer, sitting courtside, asked early in the first quarter, seeing Dybantsa in his new Nike rollout, <a href=\"https:\/\/sneakernews.com\/2026\/07\/08\/aj-dybantsa-debuts-nike-gt-basketball-model\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">a to-be-named shoe expected to be part of Nike\u2019s GT Model<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Then, to Dybantsa: \u201cI need a size 15, my boy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Two minutes later, at the other end of the court, Dybantsa drove the paint, lost the ball halfway up \u2014 but gathered it back, and in one motion, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Ps3SCYrcZEU\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">punched it on Utah\u2019s Justin Harmon.<\/a> The highlight-reel play produced the kind of roar from the near-sellout crowd that has almost always been reserved for Wizards\u2019 opponents much of the last decade.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat looked like No. 1 to me!\u201d Pierce said. \u201cI\u2019m about to leave. I\u2019ve seen enough.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And The Truth, indeed, headed out a couple of minutes later.<\/p>\n<p>If everything around him seemed to swirl and pulsate, Dybantsa was not at all shaken in the eye of the storm.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEverything felt normal,\u201d Dybantsa said afterward. \u201cI think my game kind of is built for the NBA \u2014 me getting in transition a lot, me getting downhill a lot, and me being able to make plays for my teammates.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"article-pickem\">\n<p>His soon-to-be regular-season teammates came out in force Thursday. Most every Wizard who will be in the regular rotation next season was at Thomas &amp; Mack: Trae Young, Anthony Davis, Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, Justin Champagnie, Bub Carrington and the newly reacquired Khris Middleton. Most of them sat together courtside, next to coach Brian Keefe, general manager Will Dawkins and the team\u2019s governor, Ted Leonsis.<\/p>\n<div id=\"top-league-content-root\"><\/div>\n<p>    {&#8220;endpoint&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/api-prd-nyt.theathletic.com\/graphql&#8221;}<\/p>\n<p>The night was billed as a showdown between Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson, the stellar guard from Kansas, who went second to the Jazz. They\u2019ve been linked for a while among the top high school players in the country. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=pqY1IjZZSeU\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Famously, Peterson outscored Dybantsa 61-49<\/a> in a 2025 game, with Peterson\u2019s Prolific Prep beating Dybantsa\u2019s Utah Prep, one of two wins Peterson had over Dybantsa in high school. Last season, in the Big 12, Peterson\u2019s team won again, as he scored 18 of his 20 points in the first half, staking Kansas to a 20-point halftime lead.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_7435886\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n<div class=\"wp-caption-image-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-7435886 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/athletic\/uploads\/wp\/2026\/07\/10020329\/GettyImages-2285437582-1-scaled-e1783663440579.jpg\" alt=\"AJ Dybantsa, in white jersey, dribbles against the defense of Cody Williams.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1708\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"inline-credits\">\n<div class=\"inline-credits-container\">\n      <span class=\"credits-text\">The Wizards gave the ball to AJ Dybantsa, shown guarded by Cody Williams, frequently as a point forward Thursday. (Ethan Miller \/ Getty Images)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>And the Wizards also saw how much Dybantsa was champing at the bit after Peterson put up huge numbers in two games for Utah in the NBA Summer League this week.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-container\">\n<div class=\"ad-wrapper article-treatment\">\n<div class=\"ad-slug-container\">\n<p class=\"ad-slug\">Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"mid2\" data-position=\"mid2\" class=\"ad place-ad\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cI watched,\u201d Dybantsa said. \u201cSuper impressive. I think the first game he had, like, 28. Second game he showed his facilitating ability, had 12 assists. I mean, the dude is a dog. He\u2019s going to be a great player.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thursday was Dybantsa\u2019s turn. Peterson scored 24 points, but made just 6 of 18 shots, with the Wizards\u2019 Jamir Watkins in his shirt most of the night. Dybantsa wasn\u2019t wildly efficient either, going 7 of 18 from the floor. Almost all of his jumpers, whether inside or outside the 3-point line, came up short. But he put continual pressure on Utah\u2019s half-court defense.<\/p>\n<p>The Wizards gave Dybantsa the ball much of the game as a point forward, letting him initiate the attack. Sometimes he got bogged down and got tunnel vision instead of moving the ball. And he took several of the extremely difficult fadeaways he shot in college. But Dybantsa also made several eyebrow-raising shots: a reverse layup, a floater in traffic. He made a great bounce pass ahead to Will Riley for an and-1.<\/p>\n<p>And how he got to the line.<\/p>\n<p>Of all the offensive numbers Dybantsa posted at BYU last season, the most impressive was this: He led the nation in free-throw attempts. And he displayed that ability in abundance Thursday night. The bend that Dybantsa gets on his drives, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7382249\/2026\/06\/22\/nba-draft-2026-aj-dybantsa-darryn-peterson-cameron-boozer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">as <em>The Athletic<\/em>\u2019s Sam Vecenie wrote about before the draft<\/a>, puts so much pressure on defenders. When they meet Dybantsa\u2019s force with their own, he snaps his head back like a 10-year vet and takes the contact to the floor. He shot six free throws in the first half, and it would have been double figures except for the NBA\u2019s \u201cexperiment\u201d during summer league, which has people shoot only one free throw rather than the customary two or three.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou don\u2019t know what to expect, but you see his talent. So we wanted to get him the ball in his hands, and let him go,\u201d said T.J. Sorrentine, the Wizards assistant who\u2019s coaching their summer league team here. \u201cUltimately, he started off pretty good, got him comfortable. Yeah, man, he\u2019s easy to coach.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-container\">\n<div class=\"ad-wrapper article-treatment\">\n<div class=\"ad-slug-container\">\n<p class=\"ad-slug\">Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"mid3\" data-position=\"mid3\" class=\"ad place-ad\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>For three years, the Wizards\u2019 new front office spoke softly about the opportunities that could come in the next few drafts. In particular, the 2025 and 2026 drafts were the way out of the hell the franchise had been in for so long. There were Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper last year; Dybantsa and Peterson and Cameron Boozer this year. The Wizards didn\u2019t say it out loud, but they had to get one of those guys to give them a future, a chance to build a long-lasting contender in an NBA transitioning from the LeBron James and Stephen Curry era.<\/p>\n<p>The future arrived Thursday. He is years from being the best he will be, but you didn\u2019t have to squint to see what\u2019s possible. It was there, right in front of you. The Wizards have Dybantsa, and the Jazz have Peterson, and everyone should sit back and see what the two of them become. If it\u2019s anything like the best rivalries the NBA has produced over the decades, all they will need to see is the nightly recap of what the other did, and they\u2019ll be back in the gym, chasing the other, year after year.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOff the court, we\u2019re very cool,\u201d Dybantsa said of Peterson. \u201cHe\u2019s not my best friend; we don\u2019t see each other every day. But every camp that we\u2019ve been to, we played in USA (Basketball), won a gold medal (Peterson for the U.S. team at the 2023 FIBA Americas U-16 team; Dybantsa for the 2025 FIBA U19 Men\u2019s World Cup team).<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut the media, and just the NBA gods, kind of built it into a rivalry. I mean, I seen somebody say it\u2019s kind of like Tracy (McGrady) and Kobe (Bryant), reimagined. I\u2019m a big Tracy guy; he\u2019s a big Kobe guy. So, I mean, I guess they\u2019re going to gas that up. But I think we\u2019re going to be playing against each other for a long, long time.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>LAS VEGAS \u2014 Well, now. Thomas &amp; Mack Center saw the latest iteration of \u201cWho\u2019s Next\u201d in the NBA on Thursday. For the first time in almost a generation, the Washington Wizards had the guy at the forefront of the debate. AJ Dybantsa\u2019s first night in a Wizards uniform produced electricity that hasn\u2019t been seen [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,241],"class_list":["post-2036756","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nytimes-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2036756","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2036756"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2036756\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2036756"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2036756"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2036756"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}