AJ Dybantsa has cited Kevin Young’s coaching as a major factor in him choosing to play basketball at BYU.
Now, Young is sharing all about his past year spent with the highly-touted prospect, who may be the top pick in the NBA Draft next month.
While attending the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago, BYU’s head coach appeared on ESPN Tuesday afternoon to discuss Dybantsa and more.
Here are the notable highlights from Kevin Young’s latest ESPN appearance.
On how Dybantsa’s year at BYU will prepare him for the NBA
“I think he’s going to be a lot more comfortable going into NBA environments, just in terms of where I think a lot of his shots may come from. It was just fun to have those levels of conversations with him.
“I might show him tape of something we did with (Kevin Durant), and he talked a lot about getting to his (shooting) spots ... being able to take some of that stuff to AJ and put him in different floor spots to showcase how he can score the ball, I think that’s stuff he’ll be able to do at the next level.”
On when he realized Dybantsa was ‘special’ as a prospect
“I thought what he did in the second half of the Clemson game at (Madison Square) Garden, just given the building, the allure of it. It was a marquee game and we were down 20 (points), and he came back, put the team on his back ... just the way he responded in that moment on that stage was super impressive.
“And then we had one other game at home against Utah where I think he had 41 or 43. I remember driving home that night just thinking, ‘Man, we just witnessed something really special.’”
On trying to help Dybantsa get better
“I’ve had to tell Joel Embiid a few things he didn’t like. I’ve had to tell (Durant), (Devin Booker), Chris Paul, go down the list. Tobias Harris, go on and on. I think guys that are great players like AJ, they want to be coached. They want to be pushed. That was something that I really respected about him really from the start of the recruiting process.”
On how Dybantsa’s personality will fit within an NBA locker room
“He’s a humble kid. He’s not going to come in there as a top guy and think that he’s the man. He’s going to earn his stripes. I think he’ll have great respect for the veterans on the team and I think he’ll fit right in with whoever selects him.”
On Dybantsa’s motor and passion for the game
“I could never take him off the floor. He’s super talented. He’s a competitive guy, he loves basketball. That’s the thing about AJ, he loves to compete. He loves to play. He loves to be on the floor.
“There were times where we had to tell him, ‘Hey, maybe take a rep off here and there, we don’t want to wear your body out’ and so forth, but he just loves the game, man. Those are the kind of kids you want to be around.”
On Dybantsa’s playmaking ability
“He probably ran more pick-and-rolls this year than he had in his whole life. I think one great thing is that in (the Big 12), he was getting double-teamed, triple-teamed wherever he had the ball, so he had to make reads. I think that’s an area where as teams really start to study his game and they’re going through the film, they’re going to understand how good of a decision-maker he is, and how much he improved as the course of the season went on with his decision-making and his passing.”
On Richie Saunders’ injury recovery and NBA potential
“Richie’s doing really well. The injury wasn’t as bad as it could have been, right? It was fairly clean. He’s got like 3% body fat, he’s a crazy worker. He’s a guy that’s going to get back to his form in no time.
“But the best part of Richie is actually going to be showcased here, and that’s behind closed doors when you’re interviewing him. He’s going to knock that out of the park. He’s just a great person, and I think he did enough this season on the court for everybody to clearly realize that.
“I laugh because I think every team acts like it’s a secret that they love Richie. I can’t wait to see exactly where he ends up going.”
