AJ Dybantsa is not here for a slow build. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft sat down with ABC 7 News DC this week and laid out exactly what he expects from his rookie season with the Washington Wizards. It’s not just personal stats or highlight reels. He wants the playoffs.
“Long-term goal, I mean, definitely win a championship. Um, it’s pretty easy, um, to say it, but it’s definitely not easy to do it. But a short-term goal, I would say, um, win the playoffs. I mean, not win the playoffs. Make it to the playoffs in year one, definitely,” Dybantsa said.
That’s a bold claim for a franchise that hasn’t sniffed the postseason since 2021 and finished near the bottom of the Eastern Conference last season. But Dybantsa isn’t just talking. The Wizards front office has been quietly putting pieces around him.
Rookie of the Year Is in the Conversation
Dybantsa didn’t stop at playoff predictions. When asked about Rookie of the Year, he connected the two goals directly.
“It definitely matters. Me being the number one pick mattered, so I definitely wanna win Rookie of the Year, but it’s not like my main intention. Definitely wanna get more wins first. But the more wins I have, if we make the playoffs, I think Rookie of the Year will come.”
That’s the kind of logic that sounds simple but rarely plays out that way in the NBA. Winning teams often produce the ROY frontrunner, but the Wizards would need a massive jump to even be in the play-in picture and Dybantsa would need to be the clear engine of that turnaround.
The Supporting Cast Looks Different Now
Washington locked Trae Young to a five-year, $212.9 million max contract this summer. Anthony Davis is reportedly staying put. And the young core of Alex Sarr (the No. 2 pick in 2024) and wing Kyshawn George gives the Wizards something they haven’t had in years — actual depth around a rookie star.
If Dybantsa is as good as advertised, and if Young and Davis stay healthy, the East is weak enough that a play-in spot isn’t delusional. It’s just aggressive. Maybe that’s the point.
The Wizards haven’t made the playoffs since Russell Westbrook was on the roster. Dybantsa is betting he changes that before he even finishes his first season. He might be wrong, but he’s not hiding from the pressure.
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