A.J. Dybantsa seems to be like a future No. 1 total NBA Draft decide. Now we all know the place he will likely be spending what may be very possible his first and solely 12 months of males’s school basketball.
Dybantsa picked BYU over Alabama, North Carolina, and Kansas on Tuesday afternoon dwell on ESPN. He’s ranked because the No. 1 total prospect within the class of 2025 by a number of shops, and is taken into account the present front-runner to be the primary decide within the 2026 NBA Draft.
Dybantsa has the look of a future NBA All-Star. A 6’9 wing with a powerful body and lengthy arms, Dybantsa is an explosive athlete with robust shot-making capacity all around the ground. He’s a tank going to the basket with a fast first step and a jarring mixture of leaping capacity and physique management across the basket. Dybantsa’s driving capacity is made all of the simpler by the truth that he’s essentially the most harmful pull-up shooter in highschool basketball with the craft and vary to hit photographs from mid-range or past the NBA arc.
It’s laborious to consider a high prospect would decide BYU over bluebloods like North Carolina and Kansas, or a current powerhouse like Alabama, however that is the brand new world of NIL. Dybantsa is already spending his remaining 12 months of highschool in Utah after transferring to Utah Prep, an embattled upstart program based by a BYU alum. Dybantsa’s household reportedly obtained an possession stake in the highschool to associate with a profitable NIL cost. The younger star started his highschool profession in Massachusetts earlier than transferring to California’s Prolific Prep.
BYU hasn’t had a participant draft within the NBA since Jimmer Fredette in 2011. This system employed former Phoenix Suns assistant coach Kevin Younger forward of this season after dropping Mark Pope to Kentucky. Younger instantly recruited a projected NBA lottery decide in Russian guard Egor Demin and one other doable first rounder in Kanon Catchings. The Cougars are off to a 6-2 begin this 12 months of their second season within the Massive 12.
Faculty basketball insider Jeff Goodman estimated Dybantsa would make $5 million in NIL throughout his one 12 months at BYU.
The 2026 NBA Draft feels just like the uncommon class with three reliable No. 1 total abilities. Dybantsa can have loads of competitors for the highest decide from Cameron Boozer and Darryn Peterson. Boozer is a brilliant high-IQ offensive hub within the entrance court docket with a lengthy pedigree of successful at each degree earlier than committing to Duke. Peterson is certain for Kansas as an enormous guard with a deep bag of scoring methods all around the ground. For as a lot hype because the 2025 draft class has gotten, 2026 seems to be even stronger.
Dybantsa turns 18 years outdated in Jan. Take pleasure in him whilst you have him, BYU followers.
