BYU star AJ Dybantsa is one of the top candidates alongside Duke’s Cameron Boozer and Kansas’ Darryn Peterson to become the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Dybantsa, who is college basketball’s leading scorer (24.9 points per game), is part of what could go down as one of the best freshmen classes of all time.
However, don’t write in Sharpie that Dybantsa will enter this summer’s draft. In an interview with Deseret News on Tuesday, Dybantsa admitted that he “might not leave” and instead would return to college for the 2026-27 season.
“I might not leave,” Dybantsa said. “I might not leave college. … my mom wants me to graduate. Yeah, so I might not leave. But I might leave. The fans might get into my head, talking about one more year, maybe three more years. I don’t know. I’m going to have to talk to my mom.”
Dybantsa has BYU on the verge of another appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Cougars are 20-9 heading into the final week of the regular season and are a No. 7 seed in CBS Sports’ latest Bracketology projections. Since BYU lost star guard Richie Saunders to a season-ending ACL tear, Dybantsa has been asked to carry more of the offensive load, which he has.
Dybantsa has scored at least 20 points in eight consecutive games.
Why this won’t happen
If Dybantsa’s comments are shocking, you’re not alone. However, being completely realistic, there is a sub-zero chance Dybantsa actually returns to school next season. Dybantsa has a strong case to get drafted No. 1 overall this summer because there isn’t a wing prospect in this class who can score like him.
Last year around this time, Cooper Flagg — who would go on to become the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft — made somewhat similar comments about wanting to “come back” to school the following year. Of course, that didn’t happen. Flagg left college basketball after putting together one of the best one-and-done seasons in college basketball history.
If Dybantsa returned to school next season (again, very unlikely), it would be the biggest shocker in college basketball/NBA Draft history. Simply put, it would be unprecedented for a slam-dunk projected top-three pick to bypass the draft to return to school for his sophomore season.
2026 NBA Mock Draft: BYU’s AJ Dybantsa is top pick, edging out Duke’s Cameron Boozer, Kansas’ Darryn Peterson
Kyle Boone
Ahead of the 2024 NBA Draft, there was some buzz that Kentucky star Reed Sheppard could bypass the draft and return to school for his sophomore season after the program hired Mark Pope as its next coach. The hype was short-lived, as Sheppard declared for the draft shortly after Pope was hired and was selected No. 3 by the Houston Rockets.
The bottom line: It would be an absolute stunner if Dybantsa didn’t declare for the draft. For the fans of tanking NBA teams hoping to have Dybantsa on their roster next season, you can exhale.
