Wizards Forward AJ Dybantsa has One Unstoppable Skill

The topic of free throws has become a cardinal sin as of late amongst the NBA community. Generating a high number of free throws has started to be deemed "unethical" in the game. The truth is, generating free throws is a sign of being a dominant player that defenses cannot stop, no matter what they do. Now, Dybantsa is joining this hated group of players, deemed "free throw merchants," in one Summer League game.

In the victory over the Utah Jazz, Dybantsa shot poorly. Dybantsa only shot 7-of-18 from the field and missed all five of his three-point attempts. However, he managed to reach the line on 8 separate occasions. The box score shows that the first overall pick shot only 8 free throws, but this is due to a new rule the NBA is trying out.

During Summer League, all shooting fouls will be one free throw for two points, unless, of course, it is the result of an and-one. This means that the eight free throws Dybantsa took were really 15 (one trip came courtesy of an and-one). That number alone is hard to fathom, as most players struggle to even reach double digits in free-throw attempts. So, for Dybantsa, doing this as a rookie is already a tremendous sign of long-term NBA success.

Yet even though getting to the free-throw line almost always correlates with winning games, the NBA community has made this seem like a bad thing. After the game, fans from opposing teams went online to discuss how unethical Dybantsa was in his debut. The truth is, it is smart basketball that more players should adopt into their playstyle. The past two NBA champions were led by players deemed free-throw merchants in Jalen Brunson and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

It is an unstoppable weapon, and it drives people insane, rightfully so. However, even if fans want to deem Dybantsa a free-throw merchant after one game, then so be it. His ability to generate free throws is a superpower that cannot be stopped by kryptonite.