Wizards' Dybantsa Makes Immediate Impact in NBA Debut
Throughout their franchise history that stretches back to 1961, the Washington Wizards franchise - Chicago Packers/Zephyrs, Baltimore Bullets, Washington Bullets previously - have had the No. 1 overall draft choice five times. One of those, center Walt Bellamy taken in 1961, is a Hall of Famer. Kentucky Wildcats alum John Wall would have been an eventual Springfield inductee if not for his injuries. Glynn Academy’s Kwame Brown in 2001 had a long NBA career as a role player, but he famously faltered as a Wizard. The franchise has also had the No. 2 overall pick four times. Current Wizards forward Alex Sarr, picked second overall in 2024, is in his third NBA season. Of the three second-overall picks whose careers are in the NBA history books - Rod Thorn, Wes Unseld, Earl Monroe - the latter two are the ones that catch the eye of even the casual consumer. Unseld, a rebounder extraordinaire, was a five-time all-star, champion, and MVP. Monroe was a Rookie of the Year, four-time all-star, and champion.
Out in Vegas for NBA Summer League in July, I was able to catch the franchise’s latest top selection, the one that the organization hopes can be more Bellamy and less Brown, more Unseld and The Pearl.
Watching AJ Dybantsa at the Thomas & Mack Center, where the league’s summer showcase resides on the campus of UNLV, I remarked to someone sitting next to me that you could just see the difference between Dybantsa and the others, that you could see the reason that he was the No. 1 overall pick. Now listed at 6 feet, 9 inches and 227 pounds, Dybantsa has the desired measurables for a top choice and franchise face. He just looked different than the others in Sacramento Kings uniforms that he was facing that day - the way that he moved, the polish to his game. 6 feet 9 is ideal size for an NBA forward, and 227 is ideal weight for an NBA wing today.
On Wednesday night in Cleveland in his NBA debut after missing his team’s first four games with an ankle injury, Dybantsa was not facing fringe Kings players that were hoping to make an NBA roster. Instead, he was facing the Eastern Conference finalists from a season ago that have one of the top interior duos in the league in Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen and one of the best guard tandems in James Harden and Donovan Mitchell. Right away, the level of opposition proved inconsequential for the rookie.
Dybantsa, drafted to an organization with a roster that is atypical of one that gets the top draft choice - Trae Young is a four-time all-star who is consistently near the top of the league in assists and Anthony Davis is the best power forward of his era - got acclimated right away to the NBA game.
On the first Wizards possession, Dybantsa got the ball at the top of the arc a few feet behind the line and drove left on an overmatched Harden before elevating and getting hit on the arm by Mobley as he went up to finish over Allen.
‘This young man is explosive, John”, said former Cavaliers first overall pick Brad Daugherty on commentary to play-by-play announcer John Michael after Dybantsa got to the line for what were two made free-throws. "He’s going to be a heck of a pro.”
A couple of possessions later, Dybantsa, from the left, drove right into the paint and dished to Sarr in the right corner for a triple. On another play in the opening three minutes, Dybantsa provided strong defense on Harden in the post, forcing the Hall of Famer into a fallaway that missed. Davis rebounded and got the outlet to Young, who launched a near half-court alley-oop that Dybantsa finished with two hands.
After a timeout, the Wizards had the ball, just 3:30 off the game clock. Dybantsa got a pass from Young on the left wing, pump-faked a shot, and drove left with two dribbles before stopping and pump-faking again - getting Cavaliers forward Peyton Watson to bite - before stepping through for a floater over Allen.
‘Dybantsa steps through, floats it up. Wow. A refined move there by the 19-year-old,” was the call by Michael.
Four minutes into the game, the rookie had an alley-oop finish off of some good defense on one of the league’s all-time offensive players, an explosive run to the rim to get to the free-throw line, and had displayed a veteran move that you do not usually see from a rookie.
Overall in his first night of NBA action, a game that the Wizards lost 121-111, Dybantsa posted 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting in just 27 minutes. The 19 points were the most by a Wizards rookie in their debut since Tom Gugliotta’s 20 points against the Charlotte Hornets on Nov. 6, 1992.
Dybantsa is in a unique situation in Washington in that he does not have the pressures of a top overall pick to lead the franchise right away. Flanked by the veterans Davis and Young, and with Sarr, this is a talented core that can allow Dybantsa to ease in, though, judging by his output in his debut, there will be no easing in - he is ready. There is no savior-type situation right away. He will be the leader of this team eventually, but he now can fit in to be a dynamic piece - like a knight as opposed to a pawn - on the Wizards’ chess board. For their sake, hopefully ending up in Wizards lore somewhere closer to an Unseld than a Brown.
He is off to a good start.
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