Top Pick Dybantsa Makes NBA Debut against Cavaliers
BY KEN KRIZNER
STAFF
(CLEVELAND, OH) - No. 1 pick AJ Dybantsa made his NBA debut Wednesday night for the Washington Wizards in their 121-111 loss to the Cavaliers.
The rookie from Brigham Young University, the 2025-26 NCAA scoring champion, was in the starting lineup after missing the Wizards first four games because of a sprained left ankle, sustained in the team’s final preseason game.
With his parents in the crowd at Rocket Arena, Dybantsa led the Wizards with 19 points in 27 minutes. He had two rebounds and two assists.
“He was terrific,” said Washington Head Coach Brian Keefe. “We saw his ability to get to the basket, make the reads and the passes. Very impressive for a first game.”
The first time he touched the ball, Dybantsa went hard to the rim and was fouled by Jarett Allen and scored his first two NBA points from the free-throw line. After the game, he admitted he wanted his first points to be off a slam dunk. Later, he got behind the Cavaliers’ defense, took a full-court alley-oop pass from Trae Young and hammered it home for his first NBA basket. He finished the first quarter with nine points.
Defensively, Dybantsa matched up often with Cavaliers’ guard and future Hall-of-Famer James Harden. “He was one of my favorite players growing up,” Dybantsa said.
Dybantsa said nothing on the night surprised him. He was a little nervous, he added, but quickly settled in once the game started. “I’m looking forward to my next game,” he said.
With Young and Anthony Davis, Dybantsa is on the front line of trying to turn around a Wizards franchise that last made the playoffs in 2021 and last won a playoff series in 2017. Washington has won just a combined 50 games during the past three seasons.
Davis, a former No. 1 pick himself in 2012, said he was impressed with Dybantsa’s debut. The only advice Davis gave Dybantsa before the game was just go out and play and not to think too much about his first game.
POSTED 10/28/2026 23:45
Lake County Sentinel
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2026 NBA overall number one draft pick AJ Dybantsa made his NBA debut tonight at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. m Photo by Tim Shirer
