LAS VEGAS — When the No. 1 pick goes up against the No. 2 pick, the stars come out.
The AJ Dybantsa vs. Darryn Peterson game was heavily attended at Las Vegas Summer League, with the lower bowl at Thomas & Mack center absolutely packed and NBA stars lining the court on all sides.
But the crowd was left a little underwhelmed, with the game not really reaching the level of hype it had garnered prior to tipoff.
“Look, they’re two of the best young players on the planet, and people are excited about them, and rightly so,” Jazz assistant coach Steve Wojciechowski said of Peterson and Dybantsa. “Those guys, from a very early age, have had to learn to handle the spotlight. And I’m not sure any games they’ve played in has been as big a spotlight as this one. ... And I thought both of them handled it really well.”
While both Peterson, the No. 2 overall pick by the Utah Jazz, and Dybantsa, the No. 1 overall pick by the Washington Wizards, were able to showcase a number of reasons that they are going to be centerpieces for their respective teams, this was not the Summer League classic that everyone was hoping for.
Peterson closed out the game with 24 points but had nine fouls and eight turnovers, and only had a couple of defensive possessions against Dybantsa, which is what the crowd wanted to see but was still left wanting.
The intense battle of the best of the 2026 rookie class ended up being a bit of a slog, featuring 60 total fouls between the teams, a number of reviews, challenges and stoppages and a threat of overtime that not many were looking forward to.
In the end it was the Wizards that ended up on top, 92-88, led by Dybantsa’s 27 points and seven rebounds and the splashiest highlight of the night, a driving dunk that brought the crowd to its feet.
The result of the game notwithstanding, the anticipation of the matchup between Peterson and Dybantsa brought out quite the crowd.
“I think we had a good crowd today,” Peterson said. “I seen a lot of NBA guys. I actually was talking to Anthony Davis a little bit during the game, which was crazy to me.”
The Utah Jazz contingent included head coach Will Hardy, owner Ryan Smith and a number of other front office executives and coaches along with Keyonte George, Isaiah Collier, Brice Sensabaugh and Jaren Jackson Jr.
Wizards owner Ted Leonsis, general manager Will Dawkins and head coach Brian Keefe were flanked by Anthony Davis, Trae Young, Deandre Ayton, Alex Sarr, Khris Middleton, Justin Champagnie, Kyshawn George and Tristan Vukcevic.
But it wasn’t just teammates of the players on the court that made appearances. Former NBA player Paul Pierce was sitting courtside and Hall of Famer Gary Payton took in some of the game early on.
Atlanta Hawks guard CJ McCollum and Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Jalen Williams, brother of the Jazz’s Cody Williams, were both sitting courtside.
Peterson said his days of getting star struck are over, starting now.
“Nah, no more star struck,” he said. “I’m just part of the NBA now.”
