AJ Dybantsa to Washington Wizards: Why the No. 1 Pick Could Land Their First Star Since John Wall
The Washington Wizards are about to land the kind of prospect that resets a franchise. AJ Dybantsa, fresh off a freshman year at BYU that NBA executives cannot stop talking about, is the heavy favorite to go No. 1 overall to Washington in the 2026 NBA Draft. The Wizards have not held the top pick since they took John Wall in 2010. Sixteen years is a long time. Dybantsa is the kind of player who could make the wait worth it.
Let’s start with the numbers. Dybantsa averaged 25.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists at BYU while shooting 51 percent from the field, 33.1 percent from three, and 77.4 percent from the line. He is 6-foot-9, explosive in the open court, and creative in the half-court. He is the rare combination of size, skill, and self-assurance that lands at the top of mock drafts and stays there.
The Wizards getting him is the cleanest version of the post-lottery story. Washington had the worst record in the NBA last season at 14-68. The lottery hammered them with the No. 1 pick, the first time since 2019 that the team with the worst record won the right to draft first. That is a math problem the league has been trying to fix for years, but tonight it works in Washington’s favor.
Dybantsa himself is doing the recruiting in his own way. In recent interviews, he has leaned into the idea that he wants to play for a team that gives him the ball. “I fill seats,” he told Bleacher Report. That is not arrogance. That is a 19-year-old who has been the best player on every floor he has stepped on for five years. The Wizards are the place where he gets to do that for a real team.
The franchise context matters. Washington has been in the wilderness since they dismantled the John Wall and Bradley Beal era. Kyle Kuzma is no longer the cornerstone. The young roster has Bilal Coulibaly, Alex Sarr, and Bub Carrington, all of whom have flashed without a clear hierarchy. Dybantsa walks in and becomes the alpha. That is exactly what the team needs.
The rest of the lottery sets up nicely too. Darryn Peterson, the dynamic guard out of Kansas, is projected to go No. 2 to the Utah Jazz. Cameron Boozer, Duke’s AP National Player of the Year and son of Carlos Boozer, is in the mix at No. 3 to the Memphis Grizzlies. Caleb Wilson of North Carolina rounds out the top four with the Chicago Bulls.
For NBA executives, this is being called a historic draft class. The top three players are all considered franchise-altering prospects, and the depth at multiple positions continues into the late lottery. That is a generational class. Comparable to 2003. Possibly better, depending on how the next two seasons play out.
Cameron Boozer’s case is particularly interesting. He led Duke to within a chaotic possession of the Final Four while averaging 22.5 points and 10.2 rebounds. He tied for the national lead with 22 double-doubles. He shot 39.1 percent from three at 6-foot-9. That is a stretch four with offensive variety that has not been seen at Duke since Brandon Ingram.
For Wizards general manager Will Dawkins, the next two months are about doing his homework. The combine just wrapped in Chicago. Workouts are next. Conversations with Dybantsa’s family and representatives are ongoing. The pick will not officially be Washington’s until the night of the draft, but the writing on the wall is loud.
Washington fans should be excited. Real excited. Dybantsa is the kind of prospect who can take a 14-win team and make it a 30-win team in his first year. The path forward is long, but the cornerstone is finally on its way.
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.
