AJ Dybantsa, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, will make his NBA debut for the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
ESPN’s Shams Charania first reported the news on X, citing sources. The Wizards then upgraded Dybantsa to available, and the team announced he would play, according to UPI and Hoops Rumors. The NBA’s official injury report now lists him as available.
Dybantsa missed Washington’s first four games with a left ankle sprain. UPI reported he rolled the ankle in the preseason finale, a 107-106 loss to New Orleans on Oct. 16.
He is expected to be on a minutes restriction, according to The Athletic’s Josh Robbins, as reported by Hoops Rumors. NBA.com reported that he is expected to start alongside Trae Young, Anthony Davis, Alex Sarr and Kyshawn George, though Hoops Rumors said it was not clear whether he would start right away.
The 19-year-old forward arrives with big expectations. He averaged 25.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 35 games as a freshman at BYU last season, according to Hoops Rumors. Heavy reported that he led the nation in scoring, the first freshman to do so since his new teammate Trae Young at Oklahoma in 2017-18.
In four preseason games, Dybantsa averaged 12.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.5 steals, UPI reported.
Washington is 2-2. Bilal Coulibaly started in Dybantsa’s place during the first four games. Davis has led the team with 22.8 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, and Young is averaging a league-high 11 assists, according to UPI.
Tipoff in Cleveland is set for 7 p.m. Eastern, which is 4 p.m. in Arizona.
Sources: ESPN’s Shams Charania (on X), the Washington Wizards, NBA.com, the NBA official injury report, UPI, Hoops Rumors, The Athletic and Heavy.
Photo: “Sunset on the Hoop,” Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0 public domain dedication. Generic image; not a photo of the player or team.
