{"id":710901,"date":"2026-06-02T18:34:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T18:34:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/710901\/"},"modified":"2026-06-02T18:34:10","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T18:34:10","slug":"who-are-the-best-player-comparisons-for-aj-dybansta-deseret-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/710901\/","title":{"rendered":"Who are the best player comparisons for AJ Dybansta? \u2013 Deseret News"},"content":{"rendered":"

AJ Dybantsa arrived at BYU last year<\/a> as a candidate to be the top selection in the NBA draft.<\/p>\n

Now, just three weeks away from draft night, Dybantsa appears to either be the choice for the Washington Wizards at No. 1 overall or potentially the Utah Jazz at No. 2.<\/p>\n

But what should be expected from Dybantsa in the NBA?<\/p>\n

ESPN has released a list of player comparisons<\/a> for the top prospects in this year\u2019s draft, assigning each young player an NBA equivalent for both his floor and ceiling.<\/p>\n

For Dybantsa, ESPN writers Tim Bontemps and Jeremy Woo likened him to a \u201csupercharged Jaylen Brown\u201d on the high end, and a \u201csupercharged RJ Barrett\u201d as his lower comparison.<\/p>\n

\"\"Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) takes the floor after a timeout during a game against the Utah Jazz held at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News <\/p>\n

\u201cDybantsa comparisons are tricky because his physical profile is off the charts,\u201d Woo wrote. \u201c… He can play on the perimeter with power forward-caliber tools. He\u2019s an exceptionally coordinated driver at that size, and his college production was miles ahead of Brown\u2019s at the same stage. If Dybantsa doesn\u2019t take a major leap as a shooter or on defense, he should still clear players such as Barrett, who has come into his own gradually and is now in his seventh NBA season.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brown is coming off his best campaign to date, having averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game for the Boston Celtics. He\u2019s a five-time All-Star, a career 20-points-per-game scorer and earned Finals MVP honors in 2024.<\/p>\n

\u201cMultiple scouts and executives compared Dybantsa to a bigger, longer Brown,\u201d wrote Bontemps. \u201cThat would be a pretty good outcome because Brown has made several All-Star teams, was just named to his second All-NBA team and has a conference finals and NBA Finals MVP trophy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Barrett, on the other hand, was the No. 3 overall pick in 2019 but had an inconsistent, somewhat underwhelming first half decade in the NBA as a New York Knick. Upon being traded to Toronto, Barrett enjoyed a significant resurgence, posting averages of 19.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists while shooting 49% from the field.<\/p>\n

\"\"Toronto Raptors’ RJ Barrett (9) drives past Utah Jazz’s Walter Clayton Jr., back, during game in Toronto, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. | AP <\/p>\n

\u201cDybantsa is still learning his craft and needs to improve reading the floor, stretching his range and becoming a more consistent defender,\u201d wrote Woo. \u201cThough it\u2019s tricky to draw a straight comparison, there\u2019s a realistic pathway for him to become one of the NBA\u2019s best and most physical wings in time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Additionally, the NBA Draft Net website<\/a> lists Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady, six-time champion Scottie Pippen and 2025 No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg as comparisons for Dybantsa.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis combination of size, shot creation and playmaking gives him true superstar upside, with shades of Tracy McGrady as a scorer and Scottie Pippen in his versatility and ability to impact the game across multiple areas,\u201d reads Dybantsa\u2019s scouting report<\/a> on the site. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere are also similarities to Cooper Flagg<\/a> in terms of positional versatility, feel for the game, and long-term upside as a point forward who can influence every phase \u2026 If his perimeter shooting consistency and defensive engagement continue to improve, he has legitimate All-NBA and perennial All-Star potential.”<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Dybantsa himself has embraced the McGrady comparison, often referencing their similarities and claiming to have studied much of the two-time scoring champ\u2019s film.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I went back and watched (McGrady\u2019s film), I was like, \u2018Yeah, that kinda (looks) like me,\u2019\u201d Dybantsa said on an ESPN appearance<\/a> this past November.<\/p>\n

Dybantsa is currently rated as the No. 1 prospect on ESPN\u2019s big board<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhether he hears his name called by Washington at No. 1 or lands with Utah at No. 2 (a scenario that would likely thrill both parties), he\u2019ll enter the NBA as a potential franchise-level talent thanks to the strides he has made as an all-around offensive player,\u201d wrote Woo.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are still several key areas for improvement for Dybantsa in the long term, particularly his 3-point shooting, ballhandling and level of defensive engagement. Although he\u2019s not a two-way player yet, wings with his caliber of tools and competitive makeup tend to become positive defenders over time. It helps that those weaknesses are all actionable areas for development for whichever team drafts him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"BYU forward AJ Dybantsa (3) gestures to his teammates as he brings the ball up the court during game against Texas in the NCAA Tournament held at the Moda Center in Portland, Ore., on Thursday, March 19, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"AJ Dybantsa arrived at BYU last year as a candidate to be the top selection in the NBA…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":710902,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[557],"tags":[64,63,71644,590,85],"class_list":["post-710901","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-byu-cougars","tag-nba","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/710901","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=710901"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/710901\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/710902"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=710901"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=710901"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=710901"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}