They say AJ Dybantsa could be, might be, the No. 1 pick in the NBA.
However, when the season began, and although Dybantsa was named a preseason All-American by the Associated Press and packing a room full of awards and trophies, much of this season’s early fanfare has gone to Duke freshman Cameron Boozer and Kansas guard Darryn Peterson.
Today, Peterson’s nagging hamstring has kept him sidelined for an undetermined amount of time. Boozer, the most polished freshman in this class, leads the nation in scoring at 23.2 points per game.
But Dybantsa, fifth in the country in scoring at 22.2 points per game, has been on a blitz of late. It started in New York City. And it’s been something to behold.
Apparently BYU head coach Kevin Young took Dybantsa aside and asked him to take off the wraps and attack defenses like he was born to do.
He did.
And it’s been showtime.
Unlike Boozer, who is playing at just about his physical ceiling right now, Dybantsa is just scratching the surface playing against older players. This past week, he showed his ceiling is higher when it comes to overpowering opposition because of his trained acumen.
As ESPN sportscaster Fran Fraschilla put it, Dybantsa is a great, unselfish teammate. “But I think his coach has told him he needs to turn it up regardless of opponent. So last 5 games: 26.5 points, 7.6 rebounds & 5 assists. Drawing 7.4 fouls per 40.”
On Friday, Dybantsa had a career-high 35 points on 9 of 12 shooting from the field with six rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Playing against an Abilene Christian team that is physical and fouls by design, Dybantsa went to the line 20 times and made 17.
Three minutes into the second half, Young drew a technical foul, trying to make a point. Afterward, he said in the preseason there were points of emphasis presented by officiating crews and he didn’t think some of those were being “emphasized” in the game.
In other words, Dybantsa should have shot more than 20 free throws against what was being deployed against him by defenders — planned chaos.
Whatever emphasis Young asked his young freshman to target five games ago, it’s working like eggs in cake batter.
In the last five games, which began with Dybantsa scoring 22 against Cal Baptist, he has 28, 26, 23 and 35 points for a total of 134 points, an average of 26.8 points per game.
Dybantsa has scored 20-plus points in all five straight games (the first BYU player to do so since Jimmer Fredette in 2011), with strong efficiency, playmaking and defense.
His pass from the middle of the key under triple pressure at the end of the first half Saturday to teammate Mihailo Boskovic resulted in a buzzer-beater 3-pointer. It underscored his unselfishness as a teammate.
Because this five-game stretch has consistently showed Dybantsa getting more aggressive with his mid-range game and attacking the basket, this is more of a trend, it’s a graduation to a new level of performance.
His 22 points in the second half of a win over No. 23 Clemson were, well, kind of like a calling. From Young.
In that game, Dybantsa took over.
It couldn’t have happened at a better venue, Madison Square Garden, with lighted billboards displaying his persona over Times Square as the nation’s top pundits looked on.
The iconic one-handed rebound-gathering slam dunk Friday night that basically broke the internet was a direct result of Young asking his young star to use his athletic ability and size to rebound.
On that play, Dybantsa was hovering clear outside the three-point arc on the opposite side of the floor from where Robert Wright III launched a 3-point attempt that went a hair long and flew off the rim towards the opposite sideline. Dybantsa came racing from his perch, flew over a defender, grabbed the ball and sent it home.
That was vintage of what Young has asked Dybantsa to get involved with as a rebounder.
By nature, Dybantsa is a team player, unselfish almost to a burden. His fame, his stardom, his having LeBron James run over to him after a Jazz game, are handled with humility and measure.
It’s interesting to see how Young is bringing Dybantsa along. He’s teaching him how to ply his trade toward what the NBA will expect of him, to use his abilities to overpower opposing defenders who rarely have his reach or length of stride. Many defenders are not explosive enough to stop his fade-away jumper or dribble drive finish at the rim.
The Cougars are 11-1 heading into Monday’s game against Eastern Washington before embarking on an arduous Big 12 schedule. Dybantsa’s recent antics in the scoring column are creeping up on Duke’s Boozer.
Because of all the neutral court games the Cougars have played this year, fans in the Marriott Center are left with just 10 opportunities to witness a rare generational talent on the floor.
Take advantage.
It’s unique. It’s rare.