The No. 1 overall pick walked into his first NBA Summer League game having not played competitive basketball since March. That was AJ Dybantsa’s reality when he stepped onto the floor Thursday night for the Washington Wizards against the Utah Jazz in Las Vegas.
And he still looked better than most guys out there.
Dybantsa finished with 27 points, seven rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block in 26 minutes. He shot 7-of-18 from the field — 0-of-5 from three — and hit 7-of-8 from the free-throw line. Not a clean shooting night, but the kind of stat line that reminds you why Washington took him first overall in June.
“I Haven’t Hooped in 4 Months”
After the game, Dybantsa dropped a line that made everyone do a double take.
“I haven’t hooped in 4 months, so it’s just good to be back on the court,” he said.
Four months. That’s basically an entire offseason and then some. Most rookies come into Summer League after a full college season and weeks of team workouts. Dybantsa basically rolled out of his pre-draft prep into a game and put up 27.
His lone college season at BYU was dominant — 25.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.1 steals per game. He won the NCAA scoring title, the Julius Erving Award, First Team All-American honors and Big 12 Freshman of the Year. Washington didn’t overthink it at No. 1.
Wizards Slip Past Jazz
The final score was 92-88, Wizards. Washington controlled most of the game, leading 54-37 at halftime, then held on as Utah made a run in the second half.
Dybantsa wasn’t the only rookie who showed out. Tre Johnson had 26 points on 11-of-20 shooting with two rebounds and a steal. Will Riley added 18 points and three boards. Chris Livingston chipped in seven points and three rebounds.
The Wizards are in the middle of a rebuild that’s starting to look like it might actually work. They’ve stockpiled young talent and have a clear core forming. Dybantsa is the centerpiece, and if Thursday was any indication, he might be ready sooner than expected.
Washington’s next Summer League game is Saturday at 8 p.m. ET against the Sacramento Kings. Dybantsa might have a few more live reps under his belt by then. That could be a problem for everybody else.
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