AJ Dybantsa looked like the No. 1 pick for three and a half quarters on Thursday. Then he hobbled to the bench with 1:21 left in the fourth quarter, and everybody held their breath.
The 19-year-old rookie put up 27 points, seven rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block in 26 minutes for the Wizards in a 92-88 win over the Jazz at the Thomas & Mack Center. He scored 19 in the first half alone, spinning through defenders and finishing through contact like he’d been doing this for years. The Summer League opponent didn’t matter. Dybantsa looked like the real deal.
Then his knee started bothering him. He fouled Darryn Peterson intentionally to get subbed out. The arena went quiet for a second.
After the game, Dybantsa waved it off.
“Just some leg soreness. Nothing crazy. I’ll be back,” he said.
The efficiency question
If you want to nitpick, the shot chart wasn’t pretty. Dybantsa shot 7-of-18 from the field and missed all five of his three-point attempts. That’s not great. But he got to the line repeatedly, attacked the rim with confidence, and played with the kind of pace that suggests the shooting will come around. Rookies in Summer League are supposed to look lost sometimes. Dybantsa looked like he was running the show.
Durability matters for Washington
Dybantsa played every game during his one-and-done season at BYU. Led the country in scoring too. That matters for a Wizards team that has seen Trae Young and Anthony Davis miss significant time recently. Davis has played 71 games total over the last two seasons. If he can’t stay on the floor, Dybantsa will have to carry even more weight than the franchise planned.
The kid has two days off before the Wizards play the Sacramento Kings on Sunday. He says he’ll be fine. The Wizards are probably holding their breath anyway.
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