Wizards hope Dybantsa has the magic touch

It has been nearly a half-century since Washington was a real championship contender in the NBA.

Now, AJ Dybantsa's arrival represents a potential turning point for a franchise that could really use one.

The Wizards took Dybantsa with the first overall pick in Tuesday night's NBA Draft. The 6-foot-9 freshman averaged a nation-leading 25.5 points at BYU last season, highlighted by a 43-point effort that broke BYU's freshman scoring record.

Born in Boston, Dybantsa played at Utah Prep in high school before staying in state for his one year in college.

When Washington won the draft lottery, there was speculation the Utah Jazz might try to trade up from No 2 to take Dybantsa, but ultimately the Wizards kept the pick and selected him.

"I was just super confident. I've been betting on myself for a while now," Dybantsa said. "Since about ninth grade I've been No 1, so I didn't really plan on dropping in the draft."

The Wizards won an NBA title in 1978, back when they were called the Bullets. However, they have not won 50 games since 1979, and that was also the last time they so much as reached the conference finals.

In between periods of total futility, they've occasionally had entertaining players and interesting teams, but a true superstar capable of delivering a championship? That's been for other franchises.

Washington blew the top pick in 2001, taking Kwame Brown.

The Wizards fared better in 2010 with John Wall at No 1 overall, and he at least helped them get past the first round of the postseason.

That era eventually ran its course, and not even a brief visit from Russell Westbrook in 2020-21 could make Washington particularly relevant. Recently, the Wizards have embarked on a significant rebuild that yielded a record of 50-196 over the past three seasons.

Washington drafted big man Alex Sarr at No 2 overall in 2024, and the roster also includes recent first-round picks Tre Johnson, Bub Carrington, Bilal Coulibaly, Kyshawn George, Will Riley and Cam Whitmore.

Even before they won this year's lottery, there were signs the Wizards would be a lot more interesting in 2026-27. They traded for Trae Young and Anthony Davis last season, and, although Young barely played for Washington and Davis didn't play at all, Dybantsa is joining a team that has some intriguing talent around him.

"Obviously, they have a great young core, and the potential is there," Dybantsa said. "Them adding me, I think I can help them a little bit. Them re-signing Trae Young, them having AD and having good vets along with our young core. I think we can do big things."

Dybantsa has drawn comparisons to Kevin Durant, his favorite player. That's fitting, because Durant has been a white whale of sorts for Wizards fans, since he's from DC, but hasn't played there while in college or the pros.

Dybantsa's full name is Anicet Francois Dybantsa Jr. He wore flag pins Tuesday for Jamaica and the Republic of Congo, where his mother and father are from.

Hard work pays off

"Obviously, this night is just a celebration of all the hard work I've done in the past, and so now I'm going to celebrate," Dybantsa said.

So were a record number of one-and-done college stars who followed him, a trio of national champions from Michigan and fans of both New York teams on what sounded like an even more festive NBA Draft than usual.

The Wizards started it by selecting Dybantsa, a forward who was the first of a record-tying eight straight college freshman taken to begin the draft.

That matched the record set last year. Morez Johnson Jr at No 9 was the first non-freshman.

"I think down the road we can continue to do this," Dybantsa said. "They are comparing us to a certain amount of draft classes. Obviously we have to see how that plays out and how we do in the league, but if we talk it into existence, I think that would be pretty special."

Dybantsa appeared to say a quick prayer after his name was announced, then went on stage to greet Silver and slipped on a black Wizards hat that matched nicely with his black suit.

Dybantsa beat out fellow freshman Darryn Peterson of Kansas, who was taken at the No 2 pick by Utah.

While some thought Peterson had the most talent in the class, the guard missed 11 games during the season because of injuries and illness, potentially creating some questions that Dybantsa didn't have.

"I can't go back and change anything now," Peterson said. "Obviously I wanted to be the No 1 pick, but I went No 2. So now I'm prepared to go to Utah and get to work."

Cameron Boozer, the college player of the year in his one season at Duke, was taken at No 3 by Memphis.

Caleb Wilson, another freshman forward from rival North Carolina, went to Chicago with the next pick.

Those players were the expected top four throughout the pre-draft process, though there was certainly a case for Peterson to go first with his promise.

Or for Boozer, with his body of work after he put up 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game for Duke, where his father, Carlos, also played before becoming a two-time NBA All-Star.

The uncertainty was expected to begin at No 5. The Los Angeles Clippers acquired the rights to it after a trade with the Indiana Pacers and used it on Illinois guard Keaton Wagler. The host Brooklyn Nets then went with Louisville guard Mikel Brown Jr.

Darius Acuff Jr to Sacramento at No 7 and Kingston Flemings to Atlanta at No 8 continued the run of scoring guards before Dallas went back to the bigs — and created a reunion in the process — by taking Johnson from Michigan.

Johnson was congratulated by national champion Michigan teammates Yaxel Lendeborg and Aday Mara, who were also in the green room, and then hugged his old and new coach. Dusty May left the Wolverines to coach the Mavericks on the eve of the draft.

Lendeborg and Mara didn't have to wait long for their turn. The Golden State Warriors took Lendeborg with the No 11 pick and the Oklahoma City Thunder followed by going for the 7-foot-3 Mara.

The Milwaukee Bucks, who are losing two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, picked up two rookies.

They took Arizona guard Brayden Burries with the No 10 pick and are acquiring the rights to Tennessee forward Nate Ament, who was taken at No 13 by Miami, but is part of the package the Heat are sending to Milwaukee in the trade for Antetokounmpo that was agreed to on Monday.

AP