AJ Dybantsa Says Being ‘Lazy’ Off the Ball Is His Biggest Weakness. Here’s His Fix.

MANHATTAN — AJ Dybantsa knows exactly what scouts are saying about him. And he doesn’t disagree with them.

The 19-year-old BYU wing, who’s expected to go either first or second overall in Tuesday’s NBA Draft, sat down for pre-draft media availability Monday and got honest about the one part of his game that still bothers him.

“I would probably say off-ball defense,” Dybantsa said. “It was a little struggle this year at BYU, just getting lazy. I gotta put more effort on that side.”

That kind of self-criticism doesn’t always happen with top prospects. Dybantsa is a consensus first-team All-American who led the country in scoring at 25.5 points per game on 51% shooting. He’s a 6-foot-9, 217-pound wing with explosive two-point scoring ability and the kind of frame that makes NBA teams drool. But the defensive tape from his freshman season isn’t pretty. There are too many moments where he loses track of his man, hesitates on rotations or just looks like he’s conserving energy on that end.

Statistically, it backs up the eye test. Dybantsa averaged just 1.4 combined steals and blocks over nearly 35 minutes a night. His block and steal percentages were both below average for his position. The Wizards and Jazz — the two teams picking at the top — have surely noticed.

Dybantsa’s solution is pretty simple.

“Just effort,” he said. “Watching a lot of film and being in position.”

The good news for whichever team drafts him is that he won’t have to carry the offense from day one. Washington just signed Trae Young to a four-year, $212 million deal, so the offense runs through him. The Jazz have Keyonte George, who averaged 23.6 points and 6.1 assists last season. Both teams also have All-Star big men — Anthony Davis in Washington, Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. in Utah — plus a bunch of rising young talent. Dybantsa can focus on defense early without the pressure of being the first option.

Dybantsa leans on Durant and Brown for advice

Another reason to believe he’ll improve? He’s been picking the brains of two guys who went through the same thing.

“I’m super tight with KD, Jaylen Brown,” Dybantsa said. “They just try to give me advice on how they came up being high school recruits, top college recruits and being top picks.”

Kevin Durant was the No. 2 pick in 2007, back when he was a skinny kid from Texas with unlimited range. Jaylen Brown went No. 3 in 2016 and turned himself into a Finals MVP. Both know what it’s like to walk into the league with huge expectations.

Durant didn’t exactly light it up defensively as a rookie either. But he got there. Brown turned into one of the best two-way wings in the game. If Dybantsa listens to those two, he’s got a pretty decent blueprint.

The 2026 NBA Draft starts Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN from Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Day 2 follows Wednesday at the same time on the same networks.