The Washington Wizards have the No. 1 pick in Tuesday night’s NBA Draft, and they’ve spent the last few weeks putting both presumed top prospects through their paces. While BYU’s AJ Dybantsa has long been the favorite to hear his name called first, Kansas guard Darryn Peterson made his case during a pre-draft visit that left a strong impression.
Peterson told reporters Monday that his time with the Wizards organization went about as well as he could have hoped.
“When I visited, it was great. It went well,” Peterson said. “Spent a lot of time with their staff. If they happen to take me, I’d be delighted to be there and come in ready to work.”
The 19-year-old guard is coming off a freshman season at Kansas where he averaged 20.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists while shooting 38.2 percent from three. He earned second-team All-Big 12 honors but also dealt with a laundry list of injuries: severe cramps, hamstring issues, ankle problems and a quad strain. He missed 11 games and checked himself out of several others.
Still, Peterson’s tape is hard to ignore. At 6-foot-6 with a 6-foot-10 wingspan, he’s a fluid scorer who works well off the ball, knocks down pull-up jumpers and plays strong defense. That off-ball fit is particularly interesting when you consider the Wizards just signed Trae Young to a four-year, $212 million deal. Peterson could slide right into the backcourt alongside Young without needing the ball in his hands to be effective.
Dybantsa, meanwhile, was the engine of BYU’s offense last season. The 2025-26 NCAA scoring champion averaged 27.3 points and won the national scoring title, but he admitted Monday that he was “lazy” defensively at BYU. That’s a red flag for a team that would pair him with Young, who is one of the worst defenders in the NBA. The Wizards can’t afford multiple liabilities on that end.
Dybantsa shot 33.1 percent from three on 4.2 attempts per game, which is respectable but not elite. He does his best work getting to the rim and operating in the midrange, which means he’d need to adjust to playing off Young, who loves to drive and kick. The good news for Dybantsa: he stayed fully healthy last season, which gives him a cleaner medical profile than Peterson.
Both prospects talked about what it would mean to bring a title to Washington, a franchise that hasn’t won a championship since 1978 and hasn’t been to the conference finals since 1979.
“I would be super eager,” Dybantsa said. “No matter what team I go to, I’m trying to bring championships. But they haven’t won since the ’70s. That’s a long time. If I go there, I’ll definitely have to bring one to the city.”
Peterson echoed the sentiment: “It’s something huge for my career. I want to win championships. I’m coming in with that mindset early.”
The first round of the draft kicks off at 8:00 p.m. ET Tuesday on ABC and ESPN from Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The second round follows Wednesday at the same time on the same networks. Whether Washington goes with the safer bet in Dybantsa or the higher-upside, injury-riddled talent in Peterson, the organization is betting its future on one of them.
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