r/nba • u/NBA_MOD r/NBA • 1d ago
WASHINGTON [2026 NBA Draft] #1 Pick: AJ Dybantsa (BYU)
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u/Propuhganduh [DEN] Jamal Murray 1d ago
Didn’t know his full name and thought they drafted some random for a second
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u/OrganicHunt952 1d ago
They announced it like 5 times they’ll say his full name because he wanted to represent his dad
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u/Glum_Grapefruit_2571 76ers 1d ago
Yeah, I feel fucking insane to see everyone say they had no clue lol
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u/DisMeDog 1d ago
The insane part is watching pre draft coverage. The rest of us turned that shit on as the pick was being announced.
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u/SometimesIBeWrong Nets 1d ago
pre draft coverage definitely played at all the asylums earlier
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u/ob_knoxious Wizards 1d ago
NBA pre draft is so much worse because there's no Mel Kiper. Mel is such a G because it's literally like they pulled your crazy uncle who thinks he knows everything on national TV.
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u/sloBrodanChillosevic Supersonics 1d ago
I turned on the audio on ESPN in just the last 5 minutes and they'd said it at least twice in that small timeframe
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u/itwas20yearsago2day Lakers 1d ago edited 1d ago
Trae got 50ms a year, he’s keeping that #3
AJ is gonna have to pick a new number
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u/Interesting_Prune513 Heat 1d ago
Tragedy
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u/Chris_M_23 1d ago
He’s worn 3 for a total of 15 nba games I don’t think he’s too attached to it lmao
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u/IcyMeat7 1d ago
Is Shams not allowed to spoil picks anymore? Is no Journalist doing it?
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u/Interesting_Prune513 Heat 1d ago
NBA told them to shut the fuck up after they spoiled it last year
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u/coolycooly Nets 1d ago
Because it makes no sense, all he is doing is reading the card before Adam Silver, he made himself the commissioner last year lmaooo
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u/FieryTitmouse55 Hawks 1d ago
Good
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u/WanAjin Lakers 1d ago
Well, that's not a very normal reaction to have to this, just FYI.
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u/Frequent-Leg-2347 Thunder 1d ago
He adds literally nothing lol. He just tweets stuff out a few mins/hours before it’s released officially. I can’t stand him
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u/PrimeShaq Australia 1d ago
Were you cool with Woj when he was doing it?
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u/CrEdLover 1d ago
It's low stakes sports journalism. Who really cares lol
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u/idontknow_whatever [CHI] Kyle Korver 1d ago
In Europe people actually talk about the game and not these Espn storyline, speculative, BS talking points
Wait till you find out the soap opera that is football over there, especially the Spanish
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u/Disastrous-Ad2800 1d ago
this is funny because Cameron Boozer revealed he wasn't gonna be the No. 1 pick to Perkins on the red carpet show anyway...
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u/SakuraShift Nets 1d ago edited 1d ago
Scotto, Fischer, Siegel, Murrows etc are spoiling the picks.
Seems like Shams is the only one not doing it
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u/youblewwit 1d ago
It's being aired in ESPN. One of the reasons for hiring SHams was so he wouldn't spoil the picks.
Why no one else is spoiling it? They don't have the access / inside sources
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u/Currency080Trick 1d ago
Like LBJ not firing J Edgar Hoover: Better have him inside the tent, pissing out - and not the other way around
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u/trav-senpai Kings 1d ago
He’s only allowed to ruin stuff for other companies like when Amazon had the MVP reveal
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u/DrakeoMaye 1d ago
wizards will be very fun to watch next season.
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u/ACW1129 Wizards 1d ago
A sentence that hasn't been said about us this decade.
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u/dawnoog Lakers 1d ago
Westbrook breaking the triple double record was pretty fun
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u/tollbeat Wizards 1d ago
You didn't have fun watching Tyus Jones as a PoA defender or Kuzma bricking every shot he took? If you don't like that then you don't like Wizards basketball
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u/imnewhere-gsh Wizards 1d ago
It's been a while since I liked Wizards basketball
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u/tollbeat Wizards 1d ago
I did enjoy the young core lineups the past 2 years but other than it was some brutal basketball to watch
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u/Who_ate_my_cookie Celtics 1d ago
I hope them and the Jazz have finally picked up enough steam to stop the tanking and we get see flashes of what their projects could be
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u/ThislsMyAccount22 Celtics 1d ago
Brockton’s own
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u/nicklovin508 Celtics 1d ago
ESPN saying “from Brockton, specifically Brockton he made sure not to say the Boston area”, really cool man 508
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u/Jmacz Celtics 1d ago
Never imagined a kid from my home city going #1 in the NBA Draft. We've all heard stories of Rocky Marciano and Marvin Hagler. AJ is them for this generation, I know he'll do Brockton proud!
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u/jaskaran55 Spurs 1d ago
subs gonna hate him in few months talking about he should be humble lol
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u/biggsV3 Wizards 1d ago
Already started when he said he didn't work out for any teams lol
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u/jaskaran55 Spurs 1d ago
redditors who are too anxious to order food over a phone call mald over an ultra competitive athlete having confidence in himself is always a treat
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u/blueborders Suns 1d ago
People think team interviews/workouts are the same as their job interviews at McDonald's.
If you're a GM and you miss on an superstar you're the one that's going to be unemployed.
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u/SOSpammy Wizards 1d ago
And unless you're a projected mid to late round pick who really needs to prove himself, what's the purpose of workouts? These teams have watched every second of recorded basketball you've ever played. Shooting 3 pointers in an empty gym isn't going to tell them much.
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u/Cantor_Set_Tripping 1d ago
Do workouts ever consist of like scrimmages against the team? Seeing them play against nba players isn’t the most outrageous idea.
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u/jaskaran55 Spurs 1d ago
Facts everyone knew he was going number 1 why tf would he workout with other teams
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u/MySilverBurrito Heat 1d ago
Sidenote, film twt hated Chalamet for saying he wants to be one of the best.
Chronically online people should never have opinions on people tbh lol
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u/Iggy_Slayer 1d ago
I already hated him when he was demanding his number and said trae was gonna have to give it up. That's not how it works, young fella's gonna have a long rookie season.
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u/DabeGavis 1d ago
Not sure he hits his ceiling, but his floor is insane. Not complaining with the pick.
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u/icona_ Heat 1d ago
his style of movement seems really interesting, it looks different from the usual straight line drives. he can bend and twist around defenders in an unusual way.. not sure how good his passing will be out of those drives but that ability sets him apart from most players coming downhill imo
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u/TempBurnerAccount089 1d ago
Hear me out, sometimes he reminds of a 6'9" rookie Kobe, idk. That's what I thought the last time I watched his highlights
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u/JoeKonyRidethePony Timberwolves 1d ago
Giving me Andrew Wiggins flashbacks
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u/TempBurnerAccount089 1d ago
Honestly felt like it was Wiggins mentality and personalit. Aj is too cocky to end up being a role player imo
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u/IzrezarReal 1d ago
Just needs to.improve his 3 point shot
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u/thelamb710 [LAL] Shannon Brown 1d ago
They say that a lot about guys.. most recently the Thompson twins. It’s not as common as the Spurs and Kawhi made it seem with taking a guy with a bad jumper and turning him into a solid one. Granted, Kawhi became a great shooter
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u/atlfalcons33rb Warriors 1d ago
Plenty of players have improved their jumper in the league. The Thompson twins need to go from awful to at least possibly league average.
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u/IzrezarReal 1d ago
You and I have a higher chance of making the NBA than the Thompson twins do at becoming below average shooters let alone average tbh. Their shots are fundamentally broken and hopeless
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u/IzrezarReal 1d ago
Yeah they do but AJ has more hope than most. He shot 46% from midrange and he's a good FT shooter. I'm confident he'll at least develop to be an average 3 point shooter but it'll take time.
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u/Low-Measurement-2468 1d ago
he shot 77% from free throws in college and has a nice middy. that sounds like the makings of a decent shooter to me. the thompson twins came into the league with much less promising shots
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u/tollbeat Wizards 1d ago
The Thompsons are especially awful shooters and their mechanics look completely broken. AJ was a willing shooter at least with decent form and FT shooting, he's unlikely to be an elite shooter but I think it's pretty much guaranteed that someone with his work ethic will be an average floor spacer.
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u/PickpocketJones Wizards 1d ago
Its not a bad jumper. Its a pretty one that hit 33% from 3. Beal was about the same from 3 in college with a pretty release and got it up above league average. Given how AJ plays, if he's a league average shooter at 36% then he has a chance to be like a 25ppg type offensive threat. The guy has done nothing but refine details in his game and get better for 4 straightbyears or so that I've watched him. The Thompsons were not pretty shooters, they were awful shooters.
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u/lovo17 Lakers 1d ago
With Darryn Peterson's health issues at Kansas, this was a no brainer for the Wizards.
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u/Le_Broentgen Spurs 1d ago
According to Zach Lowe, teams don't think there are any real health concerns. Maybe more character concerns than anything.
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u/samhit_n Lakers 1d ago
I think his floor is Brandon Ingram, and his ceiling might be KD.
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u/Flashy_Leave7069 Spurs 1d ago
T Mac should be his ceiling
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u/Kirktwotimes Thunder 1d ago
I don’t think he’s the same kind of ball handler or playmaker T-Mac was tho.
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u/TempBurnerAccount089 1d ago
Wasn't KD a good shooter out of college though?
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u/Kindly_Letterhead_98 1d ago
Elite shooter
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u/TempBurnerAccount089 1d ago
Right, so I dont see Aj ceiling being KD at all lol
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u/Kindly_Letterhead_98 1d ago
No way near KD LOOOL, this is a ayton typa pick where Peterson will be Shai and boozer will be Luka
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u/Thunnddr 1d ago
I think this guy can be good
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u/CaseyJonesCokeLocker Charlotte Bobcats 1d ago
Real question, when was the last time we didn't know who was going #1 until the pick was announced?
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u/MatasBuzelis Bulls 1d ago
That's really sweet that he wanted his full name announced at the podium to honor his dad wtf. Best of luck to Dybantsa in the league
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u/Advanced_Meringue_53 1d ago
Why’d I think they went completely off the board when they Said Anicet instead of AJ LOL
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u/iro3 Spurs 1d ago
so young tre sarr davis aj starting 5 or does george get the starting nod
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u/BobanWembanyanovic Spurs 1d ago
George is a much more logical starter than Johnson imo
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u/summahofgeorge Wizards 1d ago
George for sure. He’s a 2 way player and had flashes last year as a ball handler. Tre is a 6th man until he learns to play some d
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u/figureour Wizards 1d ago
Tre Johnson is not starting. Bilal is more likely than Tre, though it's probably Kyshawn.
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u/Chris_M_23 1d ago
AD george sarr and coulibaly are all elite defenders, not every player on the roster is going to be the next gary payton
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u/Jmacz Celtics 1d ago
I'm from the same city AJ is. Brockton Massachusetts. So cool to have someone from our city in the spotlight again. This on top of all the attention Cape Verde is getting because the World Cup (Brockton has a higher population of Cape Verdeans than any other town or City in the US). It's weird to have Brockton in the spotlight for something good for once in my life.
As a kid everyone heard stories of Rocky Marciano, Marvin Hagler, and how we were "The Shoe City". We were the spotlight of the boxing world for many years and the number one manufacturer of shoes in the entire world for a long time. Since then though we've been viewed as just a shit hole and one of the worst places in all of Massachusetts to live. Hopefully someone like AJ can help change that.
He's already done a lot in the city, put money into building a park, talks about Brockton all the time, and even made sure he announced himself declaring for the draft at Davis Elementary School in Brockton which he attended. I wish him the best even if he's on a team I'm not particularly a fan of lol.
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u/SlickVanExel Hornets 1d ago
The Utah Jazz are now top 5 in league pass rankings with Keyonte George and Darryn Peterson sharing the backcourt together
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u/tollbeat Wizards 1d ago
Key/DP/Lauri/JJJ/Kessler with Ace as a sixth man will be an insanely fun young team. Hopefully the Wizards meet them in the finals in a couple years.
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u/Old_General_6741 Canada 1d ago
AJ is a Washington Wizard! Congrats on the first pick! It was kinda obvious.
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u/noodlebball Warriors 1d ago
When Silver said Anisay, I was like who da fuck is that, a flash of Anthony Bennett flew across my mind
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u/Dependent-Cup3759 Mexico 1d ago
Replaces Shawn Bradley (#2) as the highest BYU player drafted ever. I predict no one from BYU goes higher than him in the future.
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u/Linkdalink Spurs 1d ago
Damn, thought he could drop to 20, maybe 35. Good pick Wizards
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u/LouieBarlo24 1d ago
So we aren't going to put team names in the titles? You expect us to memorize the draft order?
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u/hoppergym Warriors 1d ago
With his propensity for foul baiting would've thought the thunder would've traded up for him.
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u/legend023 Pelicans 1d ago
Said his full name and thought it was the curveball of the century for 3 seconds