LAS VEGAS — The top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft did not disappoint in his NBA Summer League debut Thursday night.
AJ Dybantsa did a little bit of almost everything, and he did it with panache. He scored on an up-and-under layup, he hurled a sharp bounce pass on a fast break for an assist and he provided a highlight-reel dunk that brought fans and his teammates to their feet. He even played energetic defense and also initiated the offense at times.
Dybantsa led the Washington Wizards to a 92-88 win over the Utah Jazz at UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center.
“I think my game kind of is built for the NBA, me getting in transition a lot, me getting downhill a lot and be able to make plays for my teammates,” Dybantsa said.
It was tough to disagree with him after Thursday.
He finished the exhibition with a game-high 27 points, seven rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block, a performance that at times was as eye-catching as the reflective metallic sneakers he wore. He left the game with 1:22 remaining because of leg soreness but said afterward, “I’ll be back. I got my electrolytes.”
This was billed as the marquee matchup of the summer league: a one-on-one competition between Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson, the high-scoring guard whom the Jazz selected second.
Peterson tallied 24 points, three assists and eight turnovers and was guarded for portions of the game by one of Washington’s most tenacious defenders: second-year guard Jamir Watkins. Peterson also was whistled for nine personal fouls, the maximum number allowed in summer league before a player fouls out of the game.
“I look forward to every game we play,” Peterson said afterward. “Obviously, this one was a bigger one.”
Neither prospect shot the ball well. Dybantsa made 7 of 18 attempts from the field, with many of his shots looking short. Peterson went 6-for-18.
But Dybantsa provided the biggest single moment of the night. Late in the first quarter, he drove past Utah’s Cody Williams, evaded another Jazz player, split two converging defenders and elevated for an emphatic dunk.
Watch This: AJ Dybantsa with the strong Summer League slam in his debut
On the sideline across from the Wizards’ bench, teammates Anthony Davis, Trae Young, Kyshawn George, Deandre Ayton and Justin Champagnie catapulted off their courtside seats to celebrate.
Dybantsa led men’s Division I basketball last season with 296 total free-throw attempts. That ability translated to Thursday’s exhibition game, as Dybantsa repeatedly got to the line, drawing eight shooting fouls. Dybantsa earned one of his free-throw attempts after he sank a fadeaway jumper from 10 feet as he absorbed a foul from Peterson.
“I thought he was terrific,” Wizards summer-league coach T.J. Sorrentine said. “He didn’t shoot it great, but he gets to the free-throw line, gets to his spots. You just see the talent. He’s just scratching the surface.”
Dybantsa did all this as Wizards’ team officials and a large portion of Washington’s roster sat in courtside seats across from their team’s bench. The group included Monumental Sports & Entertainment principal owner Ted Leonsis, Wizards general manager Will Dawkins, coach Brian Keefe, center Alex Sarr, wing Bilal Coulibaly and veteran wing Khris Middleton.
John Wall, the Wizards’ last No. 1 pick in 2010, watched from a seat along one of the baselines.
After the game, Dawkins told The Athletic that he anticipates Dybantsa playing in Sunday’s exhibition. After Sunday, Dawkins said, the Wizards will evaluate whether Dybantsa plays on a game-by-game basis.
The Jazz opened Thursday well-tested by NBA Summer League standards. They had already played three games in the Salt Lake City Summer League since July 4, winning all of those exhibitions. Peterson shined in Utah’s first two matchups, averaging 26.5 points, seven assists and five turnovers. He also made 53 percent of his shots from the field and 44 percent of his attempts from deep.
While Dybantsa entered the NBA Draft Combine in mid-May as the presumptive No. 1 pick among front-office executives and scouts across the league, he was not a unanimous choice. Peterson had some supporters, too.
Dybantsa opened the month before the draft as the top player on the Wizards’ draft board and cemented his place during an impressive mid-June visit to Washington to interview with team officials and work out on the court.
Peterson’s eye-popping performances in the Salt Lake City Summer League prompted some fans to question whether Washington had made the right choice in the draft.
Thursday’s exhibition did not answer that question. At least several years will be necessary before any definitive assessment can be made.
Dybantsa and Peterson face enormous expectations.
Tre Johnson, a Wizards shooting guard who scored 26 points Thursday, can relate, at least a little bit. Washington drafted Johnson sixth last year. Like all early lottery picks, Johnson’s summer league debut was dissected in detail, but Johnson said he was able to keep the outside scrutiny at arm’s length.
A highly touted rookie’s summer league debut is important, Johnson said, but he added that it’s not “the end-all, be-all if you have a bad game.”
Johnson is correct: One summer league game is not the end-all, be-all.
That said, Thursday was an encouraging start for Dybantsa and for the Wizards.
