AJ Dybantsa is not pretending to be anything other than what he believes he is. The BYU freshman star showed up to the 2026 NBA Combine in Chicago and made it very clear that he expects to hear his name first when the league announces its picks on June 23.
“It’s definitely a goal of mine,” Dybantsa said when asked about going No. 1 overall. He went on to point out that he has been the top-ranked player in his class since the ninth grade and has not slipped since. That confidence might be the thing that separates him from the other elite prospects in this draft.
The Washington Wizards won the draft lottery and own the No. 1 pick. Most public mock drafts now have Washington taking Dybantsa.
The Class He Is Climbing
This is not a one-man race. The 2026 draft class is loaded at the top. Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer, and Caleb Wilson round out a consensus top four, and the gap between any of those players and the No. 5 pick is significant. NBA scouts have said multiple times that the separation between Dybantsa, Peterson, Boozer, and Wilson is razor-thin.
That makes the next two weeks unusually interesting. The NCAA’s deadline to withdraw from the draft is May 27. Several players currently on big boards could still pull their names and return to college, shifting the order in ways that change every team’s planning.
Dybantsa is not one of those players. He officially declared earlier this spring. He is going to be a top-five pick. The only question is whether Washington pulls the trigger on him at No. 1 or surprises the league by going in a different direction.
Why Washington Should Take Him
The Wizards are a young roster that needs a foundational scorer. Dybantsa is a three-level shotmaker with size, athleticism, and the kind of competitive streak that holds up at the next level. He led BYU to a strong season and answered every question scouts had about his ability to handle a heavier offensive load.
Some scouts prefer Peterson, who tested better in athletic measurements at the combine and has a cleaner positional fit at the next level. Boozer has a name and a Duke pedigree that will make him a fan-favorite pick. Wilson has the most upside as a high-end NBA wing, the position that gets paid the most in 2026.
But Dybantsa is the one telling anyone who will listen that he is the No. 1 pick. That conviction matters in a draft this close at the top. Teams have to invest in players who believe they can be the answer, and the Wizards desperately need someone who believes they can be the answer.
The Stakes for Washington
The Wizards have not been a meaningful basketball team in years. Their fan base has been promised young talent and quality coaching multiple times. The draft is the single biggest opportunity Washington has had since the John Wall era to reset everything.
Whoever the Wizards pick will define the next five years of the franchise. If they go Dybantsa, the message is that they are building around a scoring forward who believes he is the best player in the class. If they go Peterson, the message is that they are betting on a more conventional star wing.
Dybantsa is making sure they hear him on the subject. The combine measurements are in. The interviews are happening. The Wizards have a month to decide, and the BYU star is doing everything he can to make their answer obvious.
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.
