2026 NBA Draft: Is AJ Dybantsa Actually a Lock at No. 1, or Could Darryn Peterson Surprise?
AJ Dybantsa is the overwhelming favorite to go number one overall in the 2026 NBA Draft. He’s at -450 odds. Every major mock draft has him to Washington. But a CBS Sports combine report flagged something worth paying attention to: the Dybantsa-to-Wizards connection isn’t viewed as the absolute lock everyone assumed heading into the process. The combine creates new information, and the next five weeks before June 23 are going to generate a lot of it.
Dybantsa’s case at No. 1 starts with the numbers. He averaged 25.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game at BYU while shooting 51 percent from the field. He’s 6-foot-9, athletically gifted, capable of creating his own shot at multiple levels, and showed enough defensive engagement to project as a two-way player at the pro level.
Darryn Peterson at Kansas is the counterargument. Peterson and Dybantsa had a celebrated rivalry in high school and ended up at different college programs. Peterson’s case rests on a combination of floor creation, athleticism, and defensive tools that project equally well in the NBA. The question of which player fits Washington’s rebuild better, and which has the higher ceiling, is worth debating.
Cameron Boozer from Duke and Caleb Wilson from North Carolina round out the top of the class. Both players have legitimate first-lottery pick talent. Dybantsa is still the pick. The -450 odds don’t move unless something dramatic comes out of the combine. But “locked up” situations have a way of creating surprises when you least expect them.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
