{"id":910711,"date":"2026-09-30T06:48:22","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T06:48:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/910711\/"},"modified":"2026-09-30T06:48:22","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T06:48:22","slug":"aj-dybantsa-feels-super-blessed-to-be-with-the-wizards-deseret-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/910711\/","title":{"rendered":"AJ Dybantsa feels \u2018super blessed\u2019 to be with the Wizards \u2013 Deseret News"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every step of AJ Dybantsa\u2019s basketball career has been carefully calculated<\/a> with his individual development in mind.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s why he attended three different high schools, where he could face better competition and gain experience in various roles on the floor.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s why he played for Kevin Young at BYU, where he could operate within an NBA-inspired offensive system<\/a> and become a top draft choice.<\/p>\n

When the Washington Wizards selected him with the No. 1 pick<\/a> in June\u2019s NBA draft, it marked the first time Dybantsa couldn\u2019t specifically choose where he played. But the 19-year-old phenom couldn\u2019t be happier about landing in D.C., where he feels he\u2019s being set up to keep getting better.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like there\u2019s not a lot of pressure on me because I have such a great team around me,\u201d Dybantsa told reporters at Monday\u2019s Wizards media day. \u201cA lot of No. 1 picks come into a situation where, you know, they are the guy, everything\u2019s kind of centered around them. <\/p>\n

\u201cBut I have All-Stars and Hall of Famers on my team that I can really get some knowledge from, (such as) Khris Middleton, Trae Young, (Anthony Davis), DeAndre Ayton, so I don\u2019t have to come in and carry this huge load. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think I can just kind of bond with these guys, learn it slowly and learn how to play the right way instead of just getting put into a situation where I have a lot on my back.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Washington\u2019s veterans almost feel perfectly tailored for mentoring Dybantsa. Davis and Ayton were each No. 1 picks. Young entered the NBA after leading the nation in scoring as a freshman. Middleton has been a versatile wing with strong mid-range and playmaking abilities. Dybantsa can certainly relate.<\/p>\n

But Davis is now an all-time NBA great with a long list of accolades. Young is a proven, high-volume scorer, and Middleton became a 40% 3-point shooter despite being average from behind the arc in college. Young carried a team to the conference finals, Ayton has played in 10 playoff series and both Davis and Middleton have been key contributors on championship squads. <\/p>\n

For everything Dybantsa wants to achieve and every area he wants to improve, he has a veteran teammate to shepherd him along.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just super blessed to be in this situation … I can just learn how to play the right way right away,\u201d Dybantsa said. <\/p>\n

\u201cJust having these guys that have been in the league, that have won championships, that have made All-Star teams, that are first-ballot Hall of Famers, for me to be able to have conversations with them in the locker room, talk to them on the phone, it\u2019s just going to be super beneficial for me and my career.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dybantsa\u2019s NBA career officially begins Oct. 21, as the Wizards host the Milwaukee Bucks in their regular-season opener. In his short time as a professional, however, he\u2019s already earned the respect of those aforementioned veterans.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s going to have a target on his back, everyone is going to want to come after him, and he\u2019s ready for it,\u201d Davis said of Dybantsa. \u201cHe\u2019s got all of the tools to be successful in this league. He is a very special talent, he can defend, he can make any shot … He works very hard. He listens. He is dedicated and motivated.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Dybantsa may not be feeling any pressure, expectations for the new-look Wizards should be higher than they\u2019ve been in years. Washington has not been to the playoffs since 2021, has not had a winning season since 2018, and has not won 50 games since 1979. <\/p>\n

But Dybantsa, Davis, Young and the rest of the Wizards\u2019 young core believes they\u2019re in the midst of a \u201cculture shift,\u201d with the franchise\u2019s fortunes soon to flip back to NBA relevance and beyond.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s what matters most to Dybantsa.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to play competitive basketball this year,\u201d Dybantsa said. \u201cThis is a season of growth. We definitely want to add some wins to the book, we\u2019re here to win games. (Fans) have been looking for some success for a long time, and they\u2019ve been loyal.<\/p>\n

\u201c… My personal goals are flowing with the team success. As long as we win games, I\u2019m all right. Just being there for the community, being there for the kids, they show us a lot of love, and we\u2019re going to show a lot of love back.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Washington Wizards forward AJ Dybantsa poses for a photo during the NBA basketball team’s media day, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026, in Washington. | AP Photo\/Nick Wass <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Every step of AJ Dybantsa\u2019s basketball career has been carefully calculated with his individual development in mind. It\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":910712,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[557],"tags":[64,63,590,5872,85],"class_list":["post-910711","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-nba","tag-news-feed-local","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/910711","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=910711"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/910711\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/910712"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=910711"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=910711"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=910711"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}