Wizards’ AJ Dybantsa makes Trae Young promise after going No. 1

BROOKLYN — Tuesday night reminded Washington Wizards fans why they stuck through so many years of pain. The Wizards selected star BYU forward AJ Dybantsa No. 1 overall in the 2026 NBA Draft, and they now have the long-term alpha they’ve missed since the John Wall era.

The 19-year-old explained to ClutchPoints on Tuesday how he can coexist with star point guard Trae Young in Washington, as they’re both ball-dominant.

I asked AJ Dybantsa how he thinks he and Trae Young can find a good balance together as ball-dominant players:

“I think we can definitely find a balance. I can play off-ball. Obviously not alot of have people have seen that, but I played off-ball at Prolific Prep, with Tyran… pic.twitter.com/YOsRYiaP54

— Joshua Valdez (@joshvaldez100) June 24, 2026

“I think we can definitely find a balance. I can play off-ball,” the 19-year-old said. “Obviously not a lot of people have seen that, but I played off-ball at Prolific Prep, with Tyran Stokes and those guys. With [Team] USA, I’m not the number one option…I have to pave my way. I’m walking in with some vets [on the team], I have to earn my spot.”

Dybantsa won the NCAA scoring title as a freshman at BYU last season, averaging 25.5 points on 51% shooting (33.1% 3-point) over 34.8 minutes (35 games). The 6-foot-9, 217-pounder’s 33.5% usage rate was in the 99th percentile for Division I players. However, he was hardly a ball hog, as he averaged 3.7 assists and ranked in the 95th percentile with a 22.1% assist rate.

Meanwhile, Young’s career 31.79% usage rate ranks sixth among all NBA/ABA players dating back to the 1967-68 season, per Basketball Reference. The five-time All-Star is only behind Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Joel Embiid and Luka Doncic, all either Hall of Famers or future Hall of Famers. Plus, Washington signed him to a four-year, $212 million deal on Monday, so he won’t take a backseat offensively.

That’s why Dybantsa’s answer on Tuesday was perfect. The Massachusetts native has been the No. 1-ranked player in his class since high school, but he understands that he’s not at the top of the pecking order on a squad with Young and five-time All-NBA big man Anthony Davis.

But as Dybantsa said, he’s not foreign to sharing the spotlight. The 2026 Big 12 Freshman of the Year spent part of his high school career playing with another elite scorer in Stokes, who is the top-ranked recruit of this year’s class and committed to Kansas in April. Plus, he played with Stokes and other young stars like Darryn Peterson (No. 2 overall draft pick this year), Cameron Boozer (No. 3 overall), Mikel Brown Jr. (No. 6) and Koa Peat (No. 30) with Team USA.

Next season, Dybantsa will likely start alongside Young, Davis, third-year wing Kyshawn George and third-year center Alex Sarr. In addition to Young running the show, the latter three players will factor in offensively as well. Davis averaged 20.4 points on 50.6% shooting (27% 3-point) over 31.3 minutes (20 games) for the Dallas Mavericks last season, while George averaged 14.8 points on 43.8% shooting (38.1% 3-point) over 29 minutes (48 games) and Sarr averaged 16.3 points on 48.2% shooting (33.3% 3-point) over 27.2 minutes (48 games).

Not carrying the load offensively will allow Dybantsa to focus on weaker areas of his game like defense and spot-up three-point shooting. Improving in those departments will make him a more complete player, which will prepare him to be the leader of the team in a few years.

AJ Dybantsa ready for Wizards’ defensive challenge

Dybantsa admitted to ClutchPoints on Monday that he was “lazy” defensively at BYU, which is reflected in his stats and film. The 2026 consensus first-team All-American posted below-average steal (1.7) and block (1.1) percentages for his position and didn’t always stick with his man off the ball.

Washington noticed this while scouting and addressed it during its pre-draft meeting with Dybantsa, which he admitted on Tuesday, via NBC4 Sports’ JP Finlay.

Dybantsa says the Wizards challenged him to play defense all 94 feet. Says he’s ready for that. Wants to be an off ball guy between Trae and AD pic.twitter.com/zLLj0T7Cen

— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) June 24, 2026

“They challenged me when they talked to me,” he said. “They said, ‘If we pick you, we want you to play defense 94 feet and pick up.’ So I’ll definitely bring that too.”

While focusing on defense will help Dybantsa’s development, it’s also essential for the Wizards to win. The 6-foot-2, 164-pound Young is one of the NBA’s worst defenders largely due to his stature, so they can’t afford to have another liability on that end.

Unlike Sarr, George, guard Tre Johnson, guard Bub Carrington, guard Bilal Coulibaly, wing Will Riley, forward Justin Champagnie, guard Jamir Watkins, and other young players in Washington, Dybantsa won’t have the luxury of developing without the pressure of winning right away. After five straight non-playoff seasons, the Wizards will be expected to at least make the Play-In Tournament given the talent on the roster. That partially depends on their new star prospect’s off-ball productivity and defensive activity.

However, the aforementioned talent can pick up the slack when Dybantsa inevitably struggles at certain points, just like any rookie. Washington will still be patient with him, but not at the expense of competitiveness like the last three seasons. The team went 50-196 over that span, which covers the entire tenures of general manager Will Dawkins and president Michael Winger. The two executives tore down the roster and built it back up, and now it’s time to see the results of the buildup. Preferably, the squad will win around 40 games next season, which would be more than double its win total from the last two campaigns combined.

The Wizards open their Summer League slate against the Utah Jazz on July 9 at 9:00 p.m. ET on ESPN. The matchup will pit Dybantsa against Peterson, who said on Tuesday that he’ll be “extra motivated” whenever he plays his peer moving forward after being drafted behind him.

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