Strong favorite pegged for Wizards with No. 1 pick in 2026 NBA Draft

The Washington Wizards won the NBA Draft lottery, landing the No. 1 pick for this year's event.

It's a great opportunity for the Wizards, who are trying to rebuild following their 18-64 NBA season.

So, who will the Wizards take with their No. 1 pick, assuming they don't trade it? One name is emerging as a favorite, and it's a no-brainer, because he's been topping NBA mock drafts for weeks.

Washington Wizards need to pick this shot-creator with their No. 1 2026 NBA draft pick

The player the Wizards should pick is 6-foot-9 BYU freshman forward AJ Dybantsa.

In a mock out on Sunday after the lottery, Kevin O'Connor, NBA senior analyst for Yahoo, says Dybantsa is the standout the Wizards need.

"The Wizards finally land their star," O'Connor states. "Dybantsa could become one of the NBA’s most unstoppable shot-creators. At 6-foot-9, he has a special blend of athletic tools the way he bends, shifts, and explodes with the ball in his hands."

During the 2025 season, Dybantsa was No. 1 in college basketball with 25.5 points per game and also broke Danny Ainge's 48-year-old BYU freshman scoring record with 43 points.

Jeremy Woo of ESPN has the same projection in his mock. 

"Dybantsa is a strong fit for Washington on paper, even with the Wizards' collection of younger wings, with his physicality and athletic tools giving him major two-way upside," Woo states.

He adds: "NBA teams view his excellent size and powerful, physical style as hallmarks of a potential franchise-level talent. He has room for realistic growth as a perimeter shooter and defender and checks all the boxes NBA teams look for in a future star at a coveted position."

So, it's too obvious that Dybantsa is the right fit for the Wizards. Frankly, any team that scored the No. 1 draft pick in the lottery should go with him. He has a strong case for being No. 1 in the draft following his record-breaking freshman season, and even though he'll be a rookie, he already demonstrates a maturity that will help the Wizards.