Evan Mobley, Cavaliers spoil AJ Dybantsa's debut

Dybantsa made seven of his first eight shots before going cold down the stretch, not scoring again until a dunk in the final minute to cut the Wizards' deficit to six points.

It was a similar story for the other young Wizards. Bilal Coulibaly went 7-for-7 in the first half and scored just three points after halftime. Alex Sarr had 18 points, but none in the fourth quarter, Kyshawn George scored two points after halftime and Bub Carrington sat for all but 34 seconds of the final quarter.

Cleveland Cavaliers provide model for Washington Wizards

The Cavs were in a similar place to the Wizards a few seasons ago. They had a collection of young talent, including Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, but kick-started their rebuild by trading lottery picks Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton and Ochai Agbaji and a package of future firsts to get Donovan Mitchell.

Not all the prospects worked out. Isaac Okoro was the fifth pick in the draft, but never quite arrived. Garland made an All-Star team, but was traded for James Harden last season.

But Mobley has been a huge success, winning Defensive Player of the Year in 2025. This season, he's showed off a deadly three-point shot, going 5-for-6 from deep Wednesday. Mobley is making 58.3 percent of his threes this year, including two in the fourth quarter, where Mobley scored a team-high 10 points.

That's the stage the Wizards are reaching. Young and Davis raise the team's floor, while Khris Middleton provides a veteran presence. Now the Wizards have to figure out if last year's No. 6 pick Tre Johnson will develop a better three-point shot, or if 2025 first-rounder Will Riley can crack the rotation.

One game into his career, it looks like Washington may have a franchise player in Dybantsa. The rest of the season is about finding out which of the other young guns will be part of Washington's future along with him.