AJ Dybantsa Washington Wizards rookie season, Digi Mart USA News: Top pick AJ Dybantsa’s NBA debut was delayed by an ankle injury, but he quickly showed why Washington chose him over fellow prospects Darryn Peterson and Cameron Boozer. Eight games into his career, however, Dybantsa is not satisfied.
He has made an impact on both ends of the floor on a team that includes Anthony Davis and Trae Young, but the Wizards have lost six of the eight games Dybantsa has played. On Wednesday, Washington lost its fifth straight game, 114–101 to the Tyrese Haliburton-less Pacers.
The Wizards struggled to move the ball, recording 12 assists to Indiana’s 29. Washington’s defense also allowed 37 points in the fourth quarter after the game was tied entering the final frame. Dybantsa finished with 13 points and four rebounds but shot 6-for-15 from the floor, 0-for-4 from three and 1-for-4 on free throws.
At 6’9″, Dybantsa’s craftiness and quick first step stand out each time he gets the ball. Combined with his athleticism, positional size and ability to score at all three levels, the BYU product looks like a player who could be a top option for the next decade-plus.
Dybantsa’s scoring numbers have not yet matched his early hype, but his potential has drawn the league’s attention. After a loss to the Pistons on Monday, he responded to praise from ESPN on X: “Don’t matter.
Need more dubs.”
That mindset is what any team wants from its rookie. Dybantsa entered a complicated situation after the Wizards acquired Young and Davis around last season’s trade deadline.
Young played just five games in a Wizards uniform after arriving, and Davis did not make his debut with the team until this year. Dybantsa needs the ball, and an anonymous NBA scout told Sports Illustrated over the offseason that his style raises questions alongside a ball-dominant guard like Young.
After a 4–3 start, the Wizards appeared to be finding a balance. Now on a five-game skid, Washington has fallen toward the bottom of the Eastern Conference, and the new-look roster faces serious questions.
The biggest problem is floor spacing. As a unit, the Wizards attempt 32.2 three-pointers per game, the fourth-lowest total in the league, and they have shot just 29.8% from deep, 29th in the NBA.
Dybantsa is shooting 27.3% from three on 3.1 attempts per game, and his three-point shot remains a work in progress. Playing alongside Alex Sarr and Davis has also made offensive opportunities harder to create, since defenders can collapse on Washington’s lengthy frontcourt and wings.
Washington’s offensive rating of 107.9 ranks above only the Kings, Bucks, Nets, Jazz and Hornets. The defense has been much better, and Dybantsa is a major part of that.
“I’ve been telling coach I want to take that challenge, I want to guard the best player on the other team,” he said after the loss to the Pistons. “I think I got the length for it, I think I got the size for it, I think I got the quickness for it.”
The offense should improve as Young’s shooting normalizes and Dybantsa gains experience. Kyshawn George has also been strong as a key part of coach Brian Keefe’s offense.
Still, the Sarr-Davis pairing has hampered spacing, and some lineup changes may be needed to help the offense flow and slow the losses.
