AJ Dybantsa made a real statement in his NBA Summer League debut. The Washington Wizards’ No. 1 overall pick outdueled the Utah Jazz’s Darryn Peterson in the most anticipated matchup of the summer league schedule, and he did it in front of a packed house at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas.
Dybantsa finished with 27 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and two steals as the Wizards edged the Jazz 92-88. That point total tied Blake Griffin for the most points scored by a No. 1 overall pick in a Las Vegas Summer League debut. History in the first game of his professional career.
Peterson was no slouch either. The second overall pick put up 24 points of his own and looked every bit like the elite prospect the Jazz thought they were drafting. But this was Dybantsa’s night, and he made it count against his longtime rival.
What makes the storyline even better is the history between these two. This was the fourth time Dybantsa and Peterson have squared off over the last two and a half years, and in every previous meeting, Peterson had come out on top. Dybantsa flipped the script in the most public way possible, in a summer league game with the entire NBA world watching.
The scouting reports on Dybantsa going into the draft were glowing, and he showed exactly why. He used his length to get to the rim with ease all night. He made the right passes in spacing situations. And he was solid defensively despite the summer league whistle being what it is. Everything the Wizards hoped to see, they got.
The Wizards are building around him already. Washington just handed Trae Young a $212 million extension, added Anthony Davis in a separate trade, and now they have their first overall pick showing out in summer league. That is a lot of building blocks for a franchise that was completely rudderless just 18 months ago.
Peterson’s performance was interesting in its own right. He is going to be a really good NBA player, and the Jazz should feel great about their selection. Utah has been slowly building through the draft, and adding Peterson to a young core that already includes Ace Bailey and other developing players gives them a genuine long-term direction.
The rest of the summer league lineup delivered its own share of storylines. Yaxel Lendeborg put up 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists for the Golden State Warriors in a win over the Dallas Mavericks. His former Michigan teammate Morez Johnson Jr. had 27 points and 8 rebounds in the loss. It was a big weekend for former college teammates squaring off in professional settings for the first time.
The Dybantsa-Peterson matchup is going to be a fixture of the NBA for years to come, and Thursday night showed exactly why the league is so excited about it. Two elite prospects, drafted back to back, going head to head in one of the loudest venues in basketball. That is exactly the kind of storyline the NBA wants to sell.
For Wizards fans, this was as good a first look as they could have asked for. Dybantsa played like a franchise player. He handled the moment, played within himself, made the right basketball plays, and beat his rival on the scoreboard. It is one game and everyone knows summer league does not mean much in the grand scheme of things. But you either handle the moment or you do not. Dybantsa handled it.
The next matchup between these two will be even more anticipated. This is the beginning of a rivalry that could define the next decade of the NBA, and it started with Dybantsa proving he can win the big moments.
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.
