It’s a new era in Washington.
After missing the first week of the NBA’s regular season with an ankle injury, AJ Dybantsa finally made his debut for the Wizards Wednesday night and more than looked the part as a No. 1 overall draft selection.
While his injury recovery limited him to 27 minutes of action against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Dybantsa scored a team-high 19 points on 8 of 12 shooting along with a pair of assists and two rebounds.
The BYU product netted nine points in the game’s first seven minutes — including catching a halfcourt lob for a slam dunk — to mark the highest-scoring first quarter for a Wizards rookie since 1997.
Dybantsa hit 7 of 9 2-point shots, making a number of tough midrange attempts throughout the contest in addition to his production around the rim.
On the defensive end, drawing James Harden as his primary assignment, Dybantsa helped hold the 11-time All-Star to a 5 of 18 shooting night.
Even with six total Wizards scoring in double figures, Washington was outrebounded 47-27 and shot just 25% from 3-point range, ultimately falling 121-111 to the Cavaliers.
That said, the new-look Wizards have already showed plenty of encouraging signs during the young season, and if Dybantsa continues to perform similarly to his debut, Washington could find itself in the playoff mix.
Here are some social media reactions from Dybantsa’s exciting night.