AJ Dybantsa NBA Debut: 3 Things You Missed

Dybantsa was immediately aggressive coming into the game. On his first NBA possession, he attacked James Harden off the dribble, got into the lane and drew a foul from Jarrett Allen only 16 seconds into the game. He made both free throws, which became the first points of his career. That kind of aggression is important as rookies usually need time to adjust to NBA size, but Dybantsa looked like he already trusted his body. 

He Was Efficient Right Away

The best part of the debut was how little he had to force to get there.

Dybantsa shot 8-for-12 and started the game 3-for-3 in the first quarter, scoring nine points in that opening period. He also knocked down his first three and showed enough touch around the rim to make the scoring look natural. Nine first-quarter points also became the most by a Wizards rookie making his debut since at least 1996-97.

For a player who missed the beginning of the season with an ankle injury, the efficiency is probably the biggest positive.

The Athleticism Was Immediately Obvious

One thing that translated almost instantly was the athleticism.

Dybantsa finished an alley-oop from Trae Young and looked comfortable running the floor, which is important because Washington does not need him creating everything by himself. Playing next to Trae should give him easy chances in transition and on cuts, while Anthony Davis and Alex Sarr can pull attention inside. That means Dybantsa can score without having to dominate the ball every possession.

The fit may actually make his rookie season easier than people expected. Washington already has veterans who can handle most of the difficult half-court possessions, so Dybantsa can attack mismatches instead of being asked to save broken possessions every night.

The Wizards Still Lost

The only thing keeping this from being a perfect debut is that Washington did not win.

The Wizards led by 13 at one point and were still ahead 105-104 in the fourth quarter before Cleveland scored nine straight points. Evan Mobley finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds, while Cleveland eventually pulled away 121-111.

Dybantsa also finished with only two rebounds and two assists, so there is still plenty left for him to develop outside of scoring. 

The Historical Context Is Pretty Good

Nineteen points does not sound insane until you compare it with other Wizards rookie debuts.

Dybantsa’s 19 were the most by a Washington rookie in his first game since Tom Gugliotta scored 20 in 1992. It also tied for the fourth-most points in franchise history by a rookie making his debut.

That is a pretty strong way to introduce yourself. Especially when the player doing it had not played a regular-season game yet and was still on a minutes restriction.

The Second Game Made The Debut Look Less Fluky

The debut looks even better now because Dybantsa followed it up with another solid game.

In his home debut against Charlotte, he scored 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds while Washington won 95-79. Through his first two actual NBA games, Dybantsa is averaging 18.0 points and 4.5 rebounds.

That is not enough of a sample to make any huge conclusions, but it does make the first game look less like random rookie adrenaline.

End Of My Dybantsa Rant

AJ Dybantsa came back from an ankle injury, started immediately, attacked on his first possession and led Washington with 19 points on 8-for-12 shooting. He also became the highest-scoring Wizards rookie in his debut since 1992.

The Wizards lost, but the most important thing is that Dybantsa looked like he belonged.

For a No. 1 pick, that is really the first thing you want to see.