Washington’s roster improvements mean the 19-year-old won’t be instantly asked to shoulder a bevy of responsibilities.
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Asked what pressure he feels entering his rookie season, AJ Dybantsa gave a bold answer.
“None,” the NBA draft’s top pick said before cracking a smile. “I’m all good.”
Dybantsa later added that he doesn’t feel the weight of being a No. 1 overall pick because of the “great team” surrounding him. He believes he doesn’t have to immediately be “the guy,” like many other top picks.
That appears true, at least on paper. The Wizards enter the season with stars Trae Young and Anthony Davis anchoring their starting five, along with a mix of youth and veterans providing depth. With Washington’s improved roster, Dybantsa won’t have to shoulder massive responsibilities instantly — separating him from most recent No. 1 overall picks.
Five of the last six top picks — Cooper Flagg, Victor Wembanyama, Paolo Banchero, Cade Cunningham and Anthony Edwards — ranked first among rookies in usage in their first seasons. Risacher, who the Atlanta Hawks traded in July, was the exception, finishing sixth among rookies during the 2024-2025 season. And four of the six — with Edwards and Risacher omissions — led their respective teams in usage rate (a metric tracking the percentage of plays that go through a player).
Dybantsa can buck that trend.
The Wizards’ offense will almost certainly run through Young if the 28-year-old guard stays healthy. He played in just 15 games last season after leading Atlanta in usage in each of his first seven seasons — giving him the sixth-highest usage percentage all time. His 9.78 career assists per game rank third in NBA history, trailing only Hall of Famers Magic Johnson and John Stockton.
“Trae’s one of the best passers in the league in my opinion. So for him to get me and other guys open, I think it’ll be a lot easier for my team,” Dybantsa said. “My whole basketball career, I’ve been playing with the ball in my hands a lot. So it’ll be a lot easier for me to play off the ball, get screens from guys, be a screener for guys.”
Playing extensively off-ball will be an adjustment for Dybantsa, who ranked sixth in usage percentage during his lone season at BYU, when he averaged an NCAA men’s basketball-high 25.5 points per game.
“First year is always a challenge,” said Davis, the first pick in the 2012 NBA draft. “It’s going to be ups and downs for him, just like every rookie coming in.”
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Davis, who ranks 31st all time in usage percentage, hasn’t averaged below 20 points per game since his rookie campaign. The forward has established himself as one of the NBA’s top interior presences. Davis will probably command the ball often, especially during a contract year.
He and Young boast a combined 14 all-star appearances. Not many No. 1 overall picks enter a situation with teammates of that stature.
“I have all-stars and Hall of Famers on my team that I can really vet under,” Dybantsa said. “I don’t have to come in and carry this huge load.”
But it’s not just the stars who can alleviate the pressure on Dybantsa.
Washington’s young talent includes defensive-minded guard Bilal Coulibaly, the improving Bub Carrington and promising forward Kyshawn George. Deandre Ayton — the top pick in the 2018 draft — and fellow veteran Khris Middleton round out a roster that’s deeper than in previous years.
Dybantsa said he can “learn how to play the right way” because of the talent around him — matching the Wizards’ organizational focus on player development, which General Manager Will Dawkins and Coach Brian Keefe emphasized in September.
“That’s who we are. That’s what we do,” Dawkins said. “Our strength of our team will be led by player development, first and foremost.”
Keefe added: “This season is going to be about growth for us, and that always starts with our player development.”
Dawkins and Keefe’s tenures could be largely evaluated off Dybantsa’s progression, and the 19-year-old carries expectations of leading the Wizards.
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But he won’t have to yet.
