AJ Dybantsa’s NBA debut was worth the wait.
After missing the Washington Wizards’ first four games with an ankle injury, the No. 1 overall pick finally took the floor against the Cleveland Cavaliers and immediately showed why there has been so much excitement surrounding his arrival.
Dybantsa finished with 19 points, two rebounds and two assists while shooting 8-of-12 from the field in just 27 minutes.
But the most encouraging part of his debut may have been how different Washington’s offense looked with him on the floor.
Dybantsa attacked the basket, created paint touches and gave the Wizards another player capable of generating offense without relying entirely on Trae Young or Anthony Davis.
Locked On Wizards host Ben Strober believes his presence was immediately noticeable.
“It just didn’t seem like the moment was too, too much for him. He just — he was ready to play. Think about the way they had started games previously because the first half of this game where they shot 62% from the field, got out to a 10-point lead. That was the best half of basketball they’ve played throughout the entirety of the regular season so far. Just to have AJ on the floor running the show a little bit, getting downhill, getting to his spot… Dybantsa is the real deal, man. He is going to be very, very good as a scorer for this team in this league for a long time.”
Washington ultimately couldn’t sustain that first-half performance, surrendering its lead and falling to Cleveland.
But Dybantsa offered a glimpse of what the Wizards’ offense could eventually become.
Washington has spent the opening games of the season trying to find the right offensive balance. Davis has occasionally relied heavily on isolation possessions, the Wizards have struggled from three-point range and Young has carried much of the responsibility for creating opportunities for teammates.
Dybantsa potentially changes that equation.
His ability to get downhill gives Washington another source of rim pressure, while his individual shot creation can relieve some of the burden on Young and Davis.
And this was only his first game.
Dybantsa was still operating under a minutes restriction, meaning Washington hasn’t even had the opportunity to fully explore how he fits into the offense.
Strober later returned to that point.
“I’m excited to find ways they’re going just to get him going because they’re a different team offensively when he’s on the floor now.”
One game isn’t enough to know exactly how much Dybantsa will change Washington’s offense.
But 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting in a restricted NBA debut is a pretty convincing place to start.
The Wizards waited four games to finally get their No. 1 pick on the floor.
It may not take nearly as long to realize how much he can change them.
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