John Hollinger is a longtime NBA observer who was one of the leaders of the analytics movement and then spent seven years as a front office executive with the Memphis Grizzlies.
Now a writer for The Athletic, Hollinger earlier this week wrote a story about the dysfunction within the New Orleans Pelicans organization, and as part of that story he highlighted BYU freshman AJ Dybantsa and wrote a scouting report on him as the “Prospect of the week” based on Dybantsa’s performance last week against an elite UConn team.
Hollinger’s report included video clips from the game to help him illustrate his points.
Describing how Dybantsa and BYU struggled early and then rallied before losing by two, Hollinger wrote, “For Dybantsa, the game showed some of the elite tools that have evaluators excited about him as a potential No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft, as well as some of the weaknesses that have left some comparing him more to Andrew Wiggins than Kevin Durant as a prospect.”
On the positive side, Hollinger wrote that Dybantsa “can get to his jump shot any time he wants. He is a big forward with great elevation and is very comfortable shooting off the dribble. Particularly from his preferred office space on the left block, defenders can’t stop it even if they know it’s coming.”
On the negative side, Hollinger critiqued Dybantsa’s handle, “with a high, loose dribble that can get away from him at times.” Additionally, Hollinger wrote that Dybantsa can get better as a passer, and “Defensively, scouts want to feel him more, too. His size and mobility automatically give him an advantage as a multi-positional defender who can theoretically guard one through four, but there’s still a need to see it more consistently during the games.”
Hollinger concluded by writing, “Overall, nobody is basing a June decision on what happens in November. Half the battle in evaluating one-and-dones is tracking their progress between November and March, rather than overreacting to their first college games,” adding that Dybantsa will have plenty of chances to prove himself this season, particularly during Big 12 play, and especially when the Cougars play Kansas and the presumptive No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, Darryn Peterson.
Also earlier this week, ESPN draft expert Jeremy Woo released his first NBA mock draft for 2026 since the college basketball season began, and Dybantsa is No. 2 behind Peterson. This is relatively notable, as many mock drafts have Dybantsa at No. 3 behind Peterson and Duke freshman Cameron Boozer, the son of former Utah Jazz All-Star Carlos Boozer.
Of Dybantsa, Woo wrote, “Dybantsa took center stage Saturday in Boston, with a large NBA contingent in attendance for BYU-UConn. He showed his tantalizing scoring upside in the second half, after struggling to impact the first, pointing to some of the concerns around his consistency and tendencies, but also serving as a reminder of his considerable talent.
“Overall, he has been efficient. He draws fouls frequently and has made an effort to play team basketball, but he is still learning to read the flow of the game and when to be aggressive. Dybantsa’s impressive physicality gives him top-notch upside as a wing scorer who should also add value defensively, but he will need to show improvement to maximize his chances of going No. 1.”