AJ Dybantsa put on a show in Las Vegas, and the Washington Wizards responded by making the decision every fan was hoping for.
The No. 1 overall pick has been the story of Summer League. Not the only story, but the loudest one. Every night out in Vegas, Dybantsa has looked like the smoothest teenager on the floor, dropping smooth mid-range pull-ups and glide dunks and defending across two positions like he has been doing it for a decade.
The Wizards have seen enough. Reports indicate Washington will shut Dybantsa down from further Summer League action, which is exactly the right move for a franchise that has spent years praying for a cornerstone talent.
Do not confuse that decision with anything negative. Shutting a rookie down after a strong Summer League run is the smart, protective play every good franchise makes. The Wizards proved what they needed to prove. Dybantsa is who they thought he was. Now the priority is getting him to training camp healthy.
The numbers back up the hype. Dybantsa averaged over 20 points per game across his Summer League appearances, hit multiple triples on real degree of difficulty, and showed the kind of feel for the game that separates the future stars from the future role players. He looked like a top-three pick from any draft class of the last five years.
What the Wizards do next matters more than what they did with him this month. Washington has a young core that finally looks like it has direction. Bilal Coulibaly is still just 22. Alex Sarr is a defensive terror. Add Dybantsa and suddenly this is one of the most intriguing young frontcourts in the league.
The organizational patience is going to be tested. Washington will not be good this coming season. They should not try to be. Every minute Dybantsa gets is a minute of development, and every rep matters because this team needs him to hit his ceiling.
The pressure that comes with being No. 1 is real, but Dybantsa carries it well. His interviews are grounded. His body language on the floor is confident without being cocky. He talks about winning constantly. That is not a small thing when you are trying to build a culture around a teenager.
The Wizards fan base has been through it. They watched John Wall fizzle. They watched Bradley Beal do everything except win. They watched Rui Hachimura leave for a ring in LA. Dybantsa is the first player in years who feels like he could actually be the one.
Shutting him down protects the investment. It also sends a message to the rest of the league that Washington is not going to be careless with what they finally lucked into. That is the kind of restraint a franchise needs to show if it wants young players to trust it long term.
The AJ Dybantsa era starts in October. The Summer League preview was appointment viewing. The full season should be the payoff Wizards fans have earned by suffering through the last decade.
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.
