The Washington Wizards came to Summer League undefeated and looking like a team that actually cared about these exhibition games. That run is over now. Not because they lost. Because they decided to pull the plug on their best player.
AJ Dybantsa, the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, has been shut down for the Wizards’ remaining three Summer League games in Las Vegas. So have Tre Johnson and Will Riley. Summer league coach T.J. Sorrentine told The Athletic’s Josh Robbins about the decision.
This isn’t a surprise if you’ve been paying attention. Teams do this all the time with high lottery picks once they’ve gotten enough run. Dybantsa played in both of Washington’s wins: a 92-88 nail-biter against Utah on Thursday and a 104-85 blowout of Sacramento on Sunday. He showed enough flashes to remind everyone why he went first overall. The Wizards saw what they needed to see.
Why shut him down now?
Summer League is weird. It’s mostly for fringe roster guys fighting for two-way contracts and undrafted free agents trying to get noticed. A No. 1 pick doesn’t have much to gain by playing five games against dudes who might be selling cars in August. The risk of a freak injury outweighs the benefit of another 20 minutes against second-rounders.
Johnson and Riley were also pulled. The Wizards are basically waving a white flag on the rest of their Vegas schedule, which is fine. Nobody is hanging banners for Summer League wins anyway.
Dybantsa finished his brief Summer League stint averaging 18.5 points on solid shooting. He looked comfortable running the offense and didn’t seem overwhelmed by the physicality. That’s about as good a report as you can ask for from a kid who just turned 19.
The Wizards have bigger things to think about. They’re rebuilding, obviously. Dybantsa is the centerpiece. Getting him through Summer League healthy and confident was the whole point. Mission accomplished.
Washington’s next Summer League game is against the Bulls. They’ll play without their top three draft selections. The show goes on, just with a lot less star power.
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