AJ Dybantsa, potential No. 1 pick, declares for NBA Draft after 1 season at BYU

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Soobum Im / Getty Images Share article2BYU forward AJ Dybantsa officially declared for the 2026 NBA Draft on Thursday, announcing the decision at Davis School in Brockton, Mass., the school he attended growing up. Dybantsa will likely be a top-three pick in a loaded draft and could go No. 1. He was one of the faces of college basketball’s dominant freshmen class, along with Kansas’ Darryn Peterson and Duke’s Cameron Boozer, who make up the rest of the expected top three. Dybantsa earned consensus All-America honors and was named first-team All-Big 12 and Big 12 Freshman of the Year.  The Big 12 was filled with other highly touted freshmen who will likely hear their names called, but Dybantsa separated himself with his consistency. He led the country in scoring at 25.5 points per game, along with 6.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists on 51 percent shooting from the field. Dybantsa teased in an interview earlier in the season that he “might not leave college.” Multiple potential first-round players this offseason have opted to go back to school or are at least considering the option: Thomas Haugh is returning to Florida, and Braylon Mullins is returning to UConn. However, neither is close to the level of a prospect as Dybantsa, who was projected to go No. 1 in The Athletic’s last NBA mock draft. Dybantsa, 19, will remain enrolled at BYU and finish his mass communications degree, citing his mother’s wanting him to graduate. “Because my mom wants me to graduate, so I might not leave,” Dybantsa said in a podcast interview with the Deseret News in early March. At the end, with a smirk, he added, “but I might leave.” During BYU’s loss to Texas in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Longhorns coach Sean Miller was asked during a timeout interview how his team could slow down Dybantsa. “I don’t think we can,” Miller said after Dybantsa scored 14 points early. While Miller clarified he didn’t want his team to get into foul trouble caused by Dybantsa, his frustration during the game exemplified the difficulty of slowing down the 6-foot-9 wing. While the Cougars lost to Texas, which ended their season, Dybantsa scored 35 points in his lone NCAA Tournament game, even as double teams were thrown at him and all the defensive attention was on him. With his athleticism, size and high skill level, there weren’t many players capable of matching Dybantsa in college. He could maneuver his way into the lane with his ball handling and long strides while remaining balanced to finish. When teams would take his drive away, he could rise for his jump shot. The Cougars lost one of their best scorers in Richie Saunders, who averaged 18 points per game, to a torn ACL in February. With Saunders out and Dawson Baker having missed most of the season, teams were more willing to double-team Dybantsa and force his teammates to beat him. Despite even more defensive attention on him with a depleted roster, Dybantsa still scored 20-plus points in 14 consecutive games to end the season. He also notably improved as a decision-maker. While turnovers remained a problem, he showed enough growth as a passer to create optimism he will continue that trajectory in the NBA. “I think it’s going to be on even more display at the next level when he’s playing with more knock-down shooters and that spacing component,” BYU coach Kevin Young said last month. “That’s how I always looked at our film, with the way teams guard him now and he’s still able to put up the numbers he is. But when the court’s more open and he’s playing with shooters, I think you’ll see the playmaking really come to life even more. I think that’s an area of his game that’s grown.” The defensive side is where Dybantsa’s NBA team will want him to improve. He was often nonexistent in help defense and would get beat when guarding the ball, even with his physical gifts. However, the fact he carried a major offensive load likely made it tough for him to defend at a high level. With more surrounding talent in the NBA, Dybantsa could become at least a competent NBA defender. Some of the athleticism that he shows on offense could translate to defense. Dybantsa would be the first No. 1 pick from BYU if he goes first. Two Cougars have gone second: Mel Hutchins in 1951 and Shawn Bradley in 1993. The deadline for college players with eligibility remaining to declare for the NBA Draft is Friday at 11:59 p.m. ET. Early-entry players can withdraw from the draft and return to college until June 13. — Christopher Kamrani contributed to this report. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms