The 2026 NBA Draft opens Tuesday in Brooklyn. Barring a last-minute reversal, Washington will select BYU forward AJ Dybantsa with the first overall pick. The question isn’t where he goes – it’s how far his ceiling actually reaches.
At 6’9″ with a 6’11” wingspan and 8’10” standing reach, Dybantsa brings a combination of size, shot creation, and playmaking that’s rare for any incoming rookie. In his single college season at BYU, he averaged 25.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.1 steals while shooting 51.0% from the field and 33.1% from three across 35 starts. His 894 points this season rank third all-time for a freshman in NCAA Division I history.
A wing who can do everything
ESPN’s Tim Bontemps and Jeremy Woo compared Dybantsa to a “supercharged Jaylen Brown” at his ceiling – with a “supercharged RJ Barrett” as the floor. NBADraft.net put Tracy McGrady and Scottie Pippen on the board: McGrady for the scorer’s instinct, Pippen for the versatility across multiple phases of the game. Parallels to Cooper Flagg, last year’s No. 1 pick, also appear in scouting reports, particularly around his feel for the game and playmaking instincts as a point forward.
His fit in Washington has real logic. Trae Young handles primary ball-handler duties, Anthony Davis owns the post. Dybantsa would slot in as a wing creator and perimeter threat – a third option who can generate his own shot and operate off the ball. He met with Wizards executives last week and, per multiple outlets, left those meetings with strong signals the pick is his. Prediction markets put him at roughly 80% to go first overall.
Where the questions live
The defensive side is the knock. Scouts who tracked Dybantsa this season noted he doesn’t consistently fight over screens or chase corner shooters. He can play too upright when guarding quicker guards, and his defensive effort simply doesn’t match his offensive output on a regular basis. He has the wingspan to be disruptive – 6’11” is real length. Whether he chooses to use it with consistency is the open question heading into his rookie year.
These are coachable habits at 18. But they’re not cosmetic.
Bottom line
The 2026 class doesn’t have a second prospect at Dybantsa’s level. Washington takes him Tuesday, adds him to a roster that already includes Trae Young and Anthony Davis, and walks into an offseason where the Wizards’ rebuild suddenly looks a lot more like a project than a rebuild. If Dybantsa locks in defensively, this pick looks like one of the easier ones in recent draft history. The rest is up to him.
The 2026 NBA Draft begins Tuesday, June 23, at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.
