Watching Richie Saunders go down with an ACL injury early in the Colorado game on Feb. 14 changed the season for BYU. It also changed the game for AJ Dybantsa. Instead of a quiet freshman phenom who was making a lot of noise with his talent, the NBA’s future No. 1 pick was forced to act and think more like a senior.
“As a freshman I had to step up into circumstances that I’m not used to, but it made me better,” Dybantsa said following BYU’s 79-71 loss to Texas in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on March 19. “I definitely developed (at BYU) in a lot of ways — as a leader, first. After Richie went down, he was our vocal leader, so I had to step into that role. From a skill set standpoint, I think my reads got better, I started scoring the ball easier and started playing some defense.”
Four months later, Dybantsa’s life is much different, but his leadership role remains the same. As Washington’s top draft pick, the 6-foot-9, multiuse athlete is shepherding the Wizards’ summer league squad in Las Vegas, much like he was taught and prepped to do in Provo.
“It’s a team game. It’s five guys on the court,” Dybantsa told ESPN after scoring 27 points in the Wizards’ debut win against the Jazz last Thursday. “I think it’s fun to play when everybody’s hitting, not just when one guy is killing.”
Even on the bench with leg cramps in the final minute, Dybantsa, in mentor-like form, was still front and center with his squad.
“I wasn’t on the floor, so I tried making some coaching adjustments from the sideline,” he said with a smile. “I was telling (my teammates) to play hard and hold the ball and they got it done.”
Three nights later in the Wizards’ 104-85 win against the Kings, Dybantsa delivered 24 points, seven rebounds, three steals, two blocks and two assists. Interviewed on the television broadcast at halftime and at the end of the game, Dybantsa shifted the focus off of him and onto his team.
“We did a little bit of everything. We shared the ball better than we did our last game,” he said. “Shout out to Will Riley. I think he had 32. It’s just trusting your teammates and letting them go off.”
Gifted in many ways, Dybantsa is still a rookie and freely admits he has a lot to learn. So far, his Wizards are 2-0 in Las Vegas, but Dybantsa is 1 for 11 from the 3-point line. He may be the coach on the floor with this roster, but the veterans anchoring the mother ship in Washington are offering their own advice, including, “Just try to slow the game down. I know it’s a little bit fast for me,” Dybantsa told the Prime broadcast. “Just try to slow it down in every way possible.”
Time will tell how Kevin Young’s program at BYU prepared Dybantsa to hold his own on an NBA court, but as for leadership and conducting countless interviews (credit to BYUtv’s tutorial), his one year in Provo may prove to be priceless.
As strange as it sounds, the last tool Dybantsa needed to sharpen before joining the NBA was created by the last thing BYU wanted to have happen — Saunders getting hurt. It pushed Dybantsa into an uncomfortable role that has since become comfortable for him.
Without Saunders, the last game Dybantsa played in that counted was last March in Portland. His 35 points and 10 rebounds were not enough to hold off Texas. Sitting in the locker room after the game, the teenage leader of his older bandmates was asked what he was thinking about.
“I think it sucks. I wished I could play on Saturday,” he said. “That’s what I’m thinking about right now.”
Fueled by a burning desire to win and fostered by BYU to lead, Dybantsa may just be the ticket to make Washington great again. The Wizards haven’t been champions since they were the Bullets in 1978 — 29 years before Dybantsa was born.
AJ’s next test is Tuesday against the Bulls (6 p.m. MDT, Prime).
Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts “Y’s Guys” at ysguys.com and is the author of the children’s book “C is for Cougar,” available at deseretbook.com