Dan Treacy Tue, November 3, 2026 at 6:29 PM UTC · 2 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wizards' AJ Dybantsa earns high praise from NBA expert after debut originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
AJ Dybantsa's NBA career is only three games old, thanks to an ankle injury that kept him off the court to start the season, but the No. 1 pick is already turning heads.
Dybantsa shot 8-of-12 in his NBA debut against the Cavaliers and followed it up with some strong performances, including the first 20-point game of his career in a win over the Magic .
The 19-year-old is giving Wizards fans hope that the franchise has turned a corner, and it's not just Wizards fans taking note.
Here's a look at the praise Dybantsa received from an NBA expert.
Sporting News' Steph Noh gave Dybantsa an A- for the first three games of his career, singling out the Wizards standout as having "the best debut of any rookie."
Noh ranks Dybantsa fourth among rookies behind Yaxel Lendeborg, Cameron Boozer and Caleb Wilson, but he adds that Dybantsa "gets a slight ding" because he's played about half as many games as the other highly-regarded rookies.
Dybantsa's defense was a question mark coming into the league. He's been better than expected on that end, giving more effort than he did in college and using his tools to generate deflections," Noh said. "His screen navigation still needs some work, but the early returns are promising."
No one could blame Wizards fans for being thrilled with what Dybantsa has shown so far, even if his career is just three games deep. Not only is the No. 1 pick playing well right from the jump, but Washington is 2-1 when he's on the floor.
The chase for Rookie of the Year will be daunting with Lendeborg and Boozer among those playing well early on. Like those two, though, Dybantsa is already having an impact on winning.
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Source: Sports
