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Dybantsa’s Double-Double Effort Signals Readiness Despite Preseason Loss
AJ Dybantsa, the 2026 NBA draft’s top pick, delivered a solid performance in the Washington Wizards’ 131-122 preseason loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Monday, posting 14 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists in advance of his rookie debut just over a week away. The former BYU star, who led the nation in college scoring, started slow but found his rhythm late in the game—a pattern that suggests he’s trending in the right direction as the regular season approaches.
Dybantsa’s Gradual Climb Through Preseason
The arc of Dybantsa’s preseason tells a coherent story. In his debut appearance last week, he managed 11 points. He then posted 14 points against Detroit before matching that output against Brooklyn. Consistency in the low-to-mid teens across three consecutive games—against NBA-caliber defenses, not college opponents—suggests the elite prospect is acclimating rather than struggling with the transition. He turned the ball over three times against the Nets, but also recorded a steal and a block, indicating he’s defending without surrendering the ball carelessly every time.
The baseline expectation for a top-five pick is that he reaches double figures early; Dybantsa is doing that. The more meaningful question is trajectory: does he stay in this range, build from it, or regress? Three games is a minimal sample in preseason, where rotations are fluid and intensity fluctuates. But a player who led a college conference in scoring is at least not looking lost against NBA athletes.
The Wizards’ Rebuild Gains Momentum
Washington’s roster construction matters here. Trae Young posted a double-double with 11 points and 11 assists in the loss, and the Wizards played without Anthony Davis. Even with a marquee player sidelined and a preseason defeat on the ledger, the franchise appears to have accelerated its rebuild by pairing Dybantsa—raw but high-ceiling—with established offensive talent. Dybantsa’s preseason performance, while modest in isolation, matters more in context: he’s playing alongside a ball-handler who can create for him and a perimeter scorer who demands attention. That ecosystem should help him operate against defenses in the regular season.
The Wizards face New Orleans on Friday in their final tuneup, then open the regular season against Milwaukee on October 21. By then, Dybantsa will have logged meaningful minutes against NBA competition. Early returns suggest he won’t be a liability; whether he becomes a foundational piece depends on what happens next.
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