AJ Dybantsa
Frame: 6’9″, 210 lbs
Position: Wing
Team: BYU Cougars
2026 Draft Age: 19
Offense
The best players in today’s NBA are those who possess an elite combination of skill and positional size: a pair AJ Dybantsa has in spades. A 6’9” freshman wing who led the nation in scoring, flashed high-end playmaking potential, and displayed an ever-developing offensive skillset is exactly what every bottom-tier team is hoping for with the top pick.
After BYU’s second-best player, Richie Saunders, went down with a season-ending injury, Dybantsa proved that he could not just carry an offense, but actually lead it, too. In the 10 games following the injury, Dybantsa averaged 28.5 points and 3.4 assists on solid efficiency. This included a three-game stretch where he broke Kevin Durant’s Big 12 Tournament scoring record with 93 points in just three games, and a 35-point/10-rebound performance against Texas in the first round of March Madness. He was also the first freshman in NCAA history with six or more 35-point games.
This was the result of countless hours in the gym, a vigorous training schedule and calculated gameplanning by current BYU coach and former long-time NBA assistant, Kevin Young. In multiple interviews, Dybantsa credits his father for instilling a strong work ethic and sense of discipline in him at a young age by making his sister and him do 100 pushups before and after school every day. It’s been evident in the fact that he has been the #1 ranked recruit in his class since the start of his freshman year. In a class as deep as this, that’s quite the impressive feat. This is a guy who, despite facing constant double and even triple teams, managed to lead the nation in scoring as a freshman.
As mentioned before, head coach Kevin Young spent 8 years in the NBA as an assistant and associate head coach who had a reputation for player development, including an extremely successful stint working with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker in Phoenix. His role is a key factor in AJ’s appeal as a prospect because of the exposure it provided to NBA-level concepts and private workouts with pro players. Dybantsa claims this was crucial in learning how to get to his spots and minimize wasteful moves: a very important and mature insight for a prospect about to play his first 82-game season. This was also the reason that almost 20% of Dybantsa’s shot attempts were midrange post-fades; it was in order to combat the constant paint clogging and double-teams faced by superstars.
His knack for getting to the rim proved to be a reliable source of points, drawn fouls, and a way to create opportunities for others. A notable 28.6% of his shot attempts came at the rim, of which he converted an elite 73.4%. He was almost equally effective from both sides, too, converting 72.6% of his layups from the left side and 74.4% from the right. His uniquely long strides and comfort navigating traffic are elite traits that were core to this success. What’s arguably most impressive is that he generates the majority of his shots entirely on his own: he ranked in the 99th percentile for usage and in the 94th percentile for unassisted baskets at the rim. His shot creation abilities are the best in the class, and that strength is further bolstered by his playmaking abilities. His 3.7 assists per game and 22.1% assist rate both ranked in the 95th percentile, and were even more impressive when you reconsider he was missing his top teammate.
Inside the arc, Dybantsa is an elite prospect with few weaknesses. However, it’s behind the three-point line where he must improve. Despite shooting a solid 77.4% from the free-throw line and 46.3% from the midrange, he only shot 33.1% on 4.2 attempts per game. Becoming league-average, or better yet, above-average in this area would vault him into potential All-NBA territory. Roughly a quarter of his shot attempts came from behind the arc, and that’s likely to increase at the next level. Dybantsa is an elite midrange shooter who, with better teammates and increased spacing, could see his playmaking and three-point shooting numbers improve.
Defense
The primary concern surrounding Dybantsa’s game so far is his impact on the defensive end. Despite his physical tools and general athleticism, he struggles to keep his matchup in front of him and also fails to generate many blocks or steals. Arguably the biggest contributor to this is his inability to stay low in his stance, which enables smaller players to blow by him. It doesn’t help that he also struggles with his positioning at times, which is a huge contributor to his lack of turnover creation. Another issue is that he also lacks the strength to hold his own against bigger, stronger players. This can leave him in a tough spot on the defensive end.
It isn’t entirely negative, however. Dybantsa is a plus-rebounder on the defensive end and averaged 5.4 defensive rebounds per game, which ranked in the 94th percentile. This was the primary area on defense in which his physical tools and athleticism stood out. Plus, If he’s able to bulk up and iron out the bad habit of getting caught upright, he could become an average defender at the NBA level.
Looking Ahead
It wasn’t until recently that Dybantsa emerged as the favorite to become the #1 overall pick, and for good reason. No other prospect in this class consistently creates opportunities for himself and others the way he can, or has the combination of positional size and skill that he has. Not only that, he has a great work ethic, the physical tools to develop into a better defender, and is a relatively safe bet to continue improving upon his three-point shot.
Dybantsa is a prospect aware that his strengths are highlight plays and getting teammates involved, but also that he must improve at shooting over smaller defenders to make the most of the constant advantage his size mismatch will present. With improvements from behind the arc and on the defensive end, he could find himself on the path to multiple future All-NBA selections as a three-level scorer with plus-playmaking.
