{"id":4701,"date":"2026-07-10T12:34:20","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T12:34:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4701"},"modified":"2026-07-10T12:34:20","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T12:34:20","slug":"in-his-first-action-as-a-pro-aj-dybantsa-shows-what-made-him-the-no-1-pick-in-the-nba-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4701","title":{"rendered":"In his first action as a pro, AJ Dybantsa shows what made him the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft"},"content":{"rendered":"<article>\n<div>\n<p><span>LAS VEGAS \u2013 Thursday was AJ Dybantsa\u2019s turn to play in front of a packed house at Thomas &amp; Mack Center for his Las Vegas Summer League debut.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4700\">Unexpected turnaround from a lost season is a welcome sight, and other thoughts on the Red Sox<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span>The NBA traditionally schedules the No. 1 overall pick\u2019s first summer league game during its prime opening night slot, and Dybantsa and his Washington Wizards were matched up against No. 2 selection Darryn Peterson and the Utah Jazz.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>What Dybantsa lacked in efficiency, he displayed in athleticism, smooth moves, thunderous dunks, and fadeaway jumpers. The goal for any top pick is to emerge as the best player on the floor during these summer games, which are filled with NBA journeymen seeking jobs and other draft picks; for Dybantsa, it was mission accomplished.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span>The 6-foot-9 forward  made NBA plays, emerged as his team\u2019s offensive focal point, and showed great effort on defense. The Brockton native could be the best player to emerge from the Boston area and this was his first NBA step just a few weeks after being the top pick.<\/span><\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div><span>Get Starting Point<\/span><\/div>\n<div><span>A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.<\/span><\/div>\n<div>\n<div><label>Enter Email<\/label><\/p>\n<div><button>Sign Up<\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>Washington is a franchise that has experienced hard times in the past decade and is in the early stages of a rebuild as the Wizards line up top picks to join veterans Trae Young and Anthony Davis, both of whom sat courtside to witness their summer teammates\u2019 92-88 win.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Dybantsa scored a game-high 27 points with 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and a blocked shot.<\/span><\/p>\n<div><span>Related<span>: <\/span><\/span>What made AJ Dybantsa the No. 1 pick?<\/div>\n<p><span>\u201cEverything felt normal,\u201d he said. \u201cMy game is built for the NBA, me getting downhill a lot, making plays for my teammates. It was sure fast. It\u2019s fast in college but with these guys the tempo is so fast. But it\u2019s great. It\u2019s going to get me in shape.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>As Dybantsa completed his postgame media commitments, his father Ace, wearing a Wizards cap, was gleaming because this night was a dream realized. His son is officially an NBA player, the centerpiece of a team as it seeks respectability.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cIt\u2019s a beautiful thing,\u201d Ace told the Globe. \u201cIt\u2019s a dream come true. He\u2019s living his dream. And we witnessed it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4698\">Can anyone stop France? After another dominant World Cup win, it doesn\u2019t seem likely.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span>Ace was with AJ every step of the way during the draft process. After his son\u2019s first game, he made sure to allow AJ to deal with the media horde, which included an ESPN interview, without listening. It\u2019s AJ\u2019s time. And he said he knows when to step back and allow his 19-year-old son to experience this professional life.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cI take a back seat, I\u2019m in the back,\u201d he said. \u201cHe has to figure it out. I don\u2019t want to baby him forever. He\u2019ll figure it out. He\u2019ll figure it out. I\u2019m proud. He worked hard, hours of sacrifice, and it\u2019s paid off.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>From the moment Dybantsa declared for the draft following his freshman season at Brigham Young, he was projected as the No. 1 pick. While Cameron Boozer was considered perhaps a better all-around player and Peterson a more polished scorer, Dybantsa had bigger upside.<\/span><\/p>\n<div><span>Related<span>: <\/span><\/span>What to know about the Celtics\u2019 summer league team: See the roster, schedule, and more<\/div>\n<p><span>The Wizards won the draft lottery but kept their choice quiet until just before the first pick was announced on June 23. Despite rumors they were entertaining the idea of Peterson, Dybantsa was the choice and Ace knew earlier than commissioner Adam Silver\u2019s announcement when he received a call from Washington president Michael Winger.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Ace recalled the conversation: \u201cHe said Ace, this is Michael Winger from the Washington Wizards.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cI know who the [bleep] you are.\u201d Ace responded. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Winger added \u201cwe\u2019re gonna take your son No. 1.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cAnd I said \u2018thank you\u2019 and kept my mouth shut,\u201d Ace said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Many draft picks learn moments before their official announcement that they\u2019re being picked. Dybantsa didn\u2019t because Ace kept that information to himself. He wanted his son to have a genuine reaction.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cWhen Adam called his name, it was joy,\u201d Ace said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Ace will move to Washington and spend the first few years with his son until he\u2019s ready to completely be on his own.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cWashington is not a bad place,\u201d Ace said. \u201cI love the moves they made with those vets and it\u2019s going to benefit him and the rest of the youngsters. It\u2019s just the beginning of the process but I enjoy it. It\u2019s a dream come true. He wants people to know where he\u2019s from. Brockton, Massachusetts. 508.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4696\">What went well, and what didn\u2019t work over the course of seven World Cup games in Boston?<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a marquee matchup on opening night of the Las Vegas Summer League, Dybantsa displayed why the Wizards have made him the centerpiece of their rebuild.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3434,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4701","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sport"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>In his first action as a pro, AJ Dybantsa shows what made him the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft - 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