AJ Dybantsa’s pre-draft course of has regarded totally different from that of most projected No. 1 picks, and the BYU star made it clear this week that he noticed little cause to comply with the normal exercise circuit.
Showing on Baseline Banter, Dybantsa revealed that he didn’t conduct personal exercises for any NBA franchises forward of the 2026 NBA Draft.
“I didn’t work out for none, I simply visited the cities,” Dybantsa stated. “I don’t gotta exercise. They know what I can do.”
The feedback underscore the boldness surrounding Dybantsa’s draft place with lower than every week remaining earlier than the June 23-24 draft. Extensively thought to be the highest prospect within the 2026 class, the BYU ahead has been linked most strongly to the Washington Wizards, who own the No. 1 overall pick after ending an NBA-worst 17-65 throughout the 2025-26 season.
Latest reporting from Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints indicated that Dybantsa met with Washington’s entrance workplace and possession group and left the visit feeling encouraged about the organization’s plans. Based on the report, a supply near the state of affairs described the assembly as “good,” whereas Dybantsa’s camp reportedly acquired indications that the Wizards are leaning towards choosing him first general.
Dybantsa’s determination to skip exercises is uncommon however not unprecedented for elite prospects who consider their draft place is already established. Quite than showcasing his expertise in managed crew settings, he relied on a physique of labor that made him the consensus prime participant within the class.
Throughout his lone season at BYU, Dybantsa began all 35 video games and averaged 25.5 factors, 6.8 rebounds and three.7 assists in 34.8 minutes per contest. He shot 51.0% from the sector, transformed 56.8% of his two-point makes an attempt and posted a 77.4% mark from the free-throw line. His manufacturing earned consensus first-team All-American honors and solidified his standing atop draft boards all through the season.
The construction of his pre-draft schedule has additionally fueled hypothesis that the race for the No. 1 decide might already be narrowed to 2 groups. Studies have indicated that Dybantsa’s visits were focused primarily on the Wizards and the Utah Jazz, who maintain the second general choice after a 22-60 marketing campaign. No different lottery groups have been prominently related to him throughout the remaining levels of the method.
For Washington, the attraction is clear. The Wizards completed 43 video games behind the Japanese Convention-leading Detroit Pistons and entered the offseason looking for a foundational star able to accelerating their rebuild. Dybantsa’s mixture of dimension, scoring capacity and shot creation has made him the prospect most often projected to fill that position.
With draft evening approaching, all indicators proceed to level towards the previous BYU standout listening to his identify referred to as close to the very prime of the board, whether or not by Washington at No. 1 or Utah at No. 2.
