In a draft widely viewed as one of the deepest and most gifted in years, the Washington Wizards used the No. 1 overall pick to select BYU small forward AJ Dybantsa.
Entering Tuesday night’s draft at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Washington was thought to be weighing Dybantsa against Kansas standout combo guard Darryn Peterson. Peterson came off the board immediately after, going No. 2 to the Utah Jazz.
The Memphis Grizzlies followed by taking Duke forward Cameron Boozer with the third pick. Boozer continues a family legacy that began with his father, Carlos Boozer, a former Duke star who went on to have a strong NBA career.
With the No. 4 selection, the Chicago Bulls added North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson.
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After his name was called, Dybantsa appeared to pause for a brief prayer before walking onstage to shake hands with Commissioner Adam Silver and don a black Wizards cap that paired neatly with his black suit. He now joins a Washington franchise still searching for stability after reaching the playoffs just once in the past eight seasons amid repeated roster-building setbacks.
The Wizards, however, are aiming to reset around a new core featuring Dybantsa, star point guard Trae Young — who agreed to a four-year, $212 million contract earlier this week — and Anthony Davis, the veteran big man Washington acquired in a February trade.
Dybantsa averaged 25.5 points per game last season at BYU, including a 43-point performance that set the program’s freshman scoring record. Measuring 6-foot-9 and 217 pounds, he has often been compared to Kevin Durant, his favorite player, who also has roots in the Washington area.
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Washington is counting on Dybantsa to help lift the franchise into contention in an increasingly tough Eastern Conference, where the New York Knicks recently win their first NBA title in 53 years and Giannis Antetokounmpo was traded from the Milwaukee Bucks to the Miami Heat.
The last time the Wizards had the No. 1 overall pick was in 2010, when they took point guard John Wall. The five-time All-Star had a solid career that was ultimately derailed by injuries. Wizards fans will be hoping Dybantsa has a better tenure.
Some thought Peterson had the most talent in the class, but the guard missed 11 games during the season because of injuries and illness, potentially creating some questions that Dybantsa didn’t have.
In taking Wilson, the Bulls drafted a player from North Carolina in the first round for the third time. It worked out pretty well the first two times.
Chicago selected Michael Jordan with the No. 3 pick in 1984, and the Hall of Fame guard led the franchise to six NBA championships in the 1990s.
The Bulls took Coby White at No. 7 in 2019. The 6-foot-4 guard averaged 15.4 points in six-plus seasons with the team before he was traded to Charlotte in February.
Many experts believed any possible chaos or surprises in the draft would start at the fifth pick or later, because Dybantsa, Peterson, Boozer and Wilson were widely considered to be the top four prospects.
With that No. 5 pick — which the Los Angeles Clippers acquired the rights to after a trade with the Indiana Pacers — the Clippers took Illinois guard Keaton Wagler. In his lone college season, in which he led the Fighting Illini to the Final Four, Wagler shot 40% from 3-point range, 80% from the foul line, and averaged 4.2 assists per game. But what might have tipped the scale for the Clippers was his size. He stands 6-foot-5 without shoes, making him one of the tallest guards in this draft class.
The draft host Brooklyn Nets then went with Louisville guard Mikel Brown Jr. at No. 6, and the Sacramento Kings went with Arkansas guard Darius Acuff Jr. at No. 7.
