After being ranked the No. 1 high school player in the country, AJ Dybantsa made waves by committing to the BYU Cougars, a massive recruiting win that instantly raised the program's national profile.
Recently, he led Team USA to a gold medal at the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup, where he was named tournament MVP, thanks to his consistent scoring and clutch play on the international stage.
Now, with momentum building behind him, Dybantsa is widely projected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, viewed by many as a future franchise cornerstone.
That said, the 2026 class features several other intriguing prospects, including Darryn Peterson (Kansas) and Cameron Boozer (Duke), making it all the more compelling to see who will ultimately separate themselves in the NCAA.
Dybantsa has earned that hype by showcasing a rare blend of skill, maturity, and physical tools. Standing 6'9" with a 6'11" wingspan, an 8'10" standing reach, and weighing around 210 pounds, and plays with a natural feel for the game that's well beyond his years.
His style shows elements reminiscent of Paul George and Giannis Antetokounmpo, blending three-level scoring, playmaking, athleticism, and slashing into a versatile package.
Let's dive into the breakdown by highlighting his strengths and what makes him stand out, examining areas where he can improve, and finally, determining whether he's overrated or a legitimate favorite to be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft.
Athleticism and Finishing
Dybantsa has the elite physical profile of a modern two-way wing. He moves with incredible fluidity in both his upper and lower body.
A true high-level athlete, Dybantsa regularly throws down dunks and tip-slams, attacking the basket with aggression and leaping quickly off either foot.
His first step is lightning-quick, and his jab step and long strides help him cover ground effortlessly, creating easy scoring chances that are difficult to contest.
His finishing is one of the strongest parts of his game. He's creative in the paint with great footwork and a variety of moves around the rim, including effective pump fakes and Euro steps, although he does need to improve his finishing with his left hand.
Credit FIBA Media
His upper body is extremely strong, which allows him to fight through contact and finish at the rim, and he shows excellent body control in these situations.
However, at times, he can be overconfident when going for layups. Aware of his strength, he occasionally relies too much on bully ball, and he needs to be more consistent in those moments.
These are the types of plays that can give off the impression, just for a second, that he's a low-IQ player, which is absolutely not the case. But he does have some of those lapses.
But this is fairly common for a player his age, especially one who was so dominant at the high school level. Now, in settings like the FIBA U19 World Cup, where spacing is different and the competition is stronger, these types of plays show up more often.
Still, given the large sample size we have on AJ, it's not something to be overly concerned about. He has the tools and awareness to overcome those moments and gradually eliminate those minor bad habits on the offensive end.
Ballhandling and His Desire to Play Point Guard, Decision Making?
He's an advanced ball-handler who creates space off the bounce without over-dribbling, using a tight crossover, deceptive change of pace, and great control in tight spaces.
He doesn't need to rely on triple-threat positioning to beat defenders—he can simply go.
This is what makes him truly special: he's not just someone who relies on athleticism. His ballhandling is strong for a wing, and he's developed into a reliable ball-handler in pick-and-roll situations, which helps him dominate.
On the NBA open court, skills like this are crucial, especially for a player with his size and physicality.
If he combines this with the rest of his offensive arsenal, it could translate extremely well at the next level.
But of course, he isn't perfect in this area, so let's talk about some things he still needs to improve as a ball handler.
If you've followed AJ, you know he frequently emphasizes his desire to play either point guard or shooting guard, not forward.
And to be fair, he does have qualities that make him an intriguing prospect when analyzing whether he could eventually become a primary ball-handler, either in college or even at the NBA level.
Dybantsa
Dybantsa
Credit FIBA Media
While his handles are impressive for someone his size, he tends to stand too upright when dribbling and playing one-on-one.
He needs to lower his stance, stay more grounded, and compact. That would make it harder for defenders to swipe the ball and would improve the precision and effectiveness of his handle overall.
His decision-making is quite solid and continues to improve as he gains more experience playing in different competitions like the FIBA U19 and high school circuits.
College ball will slow the game down even more for him, allowing further growth.
But, overall, he reads defenses quite solidly, passes well out of drives with either hand, and avoids tunnel vision.
Across three major events, he kept his turnovers remarkably low: a 3.9-to-1.4 assist-to-turnover ratio in EYBL play, 3.8-to-1.2 at the U16 Americas, and 4.1-to-2 at the U17 World Cup, and in the recent U19 World Cup, he had only 1.3 turnovers per game.
AJ Dybantsa's Defensive Potential
Defensively, Dybantsa brings the same focus and intensity. He's a switchable defender who picks up the full court, contests shots, and covers space quickly thanks to his length and foot speed.
He averaged 2 steals per game at the 2023 U16 Americas and 1.6 per game at the 2024 U17 World Cup.
In the 2025 FIBA World Cup U19, he averaged 1.1 steals per game, showing active hands and great anticipation.
Off the ball, he's alert and rotates well, rarely taking plays off—his consistent high motor and competitive edge are among his most impressive traits.
He perfectly fits what modern NBA teams are looking for defensively. With his physical tools and elite anticipation, combined with his quick reactions, he has the potential to be both an excellent on-ball defender and a nightmare in rotation schemes.
For instance, in the widely used "next man" help concept, he can stunt at the primary ball-handler and then recover seamlessly to his original assignment.
His ability to execute those short rotations effectively comes from his rare mix of size, speed, and sharp defensive instincts.
Coaches and scouts have frequently noted his maturity, vocal leadership, and "alpha" presence on the floor.
Did FIBA U19 tournament expose his 3PT struggles?
Now, while Dybantsa continued building his international résumé with a standout showing at the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup, where he was named tournament MVP, becoming just the fifth American to ever earn that honor.
He joined an exclusive list of past US
MVPs that include Chet Holmgren, Reggie Perry, Jalen Brunson, and Aaron Gordon, placing himself among some of the NBA's most well-rounded young stars.
Over seven games, he averaged 14.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.1 steals, all while playing just 20 minutes per game in a deep and talented Team USA rotation.
Dybantsa's scoring came with elite efficiency, as he converted 68.4% of his two-point attempts and hit 84% from the free-throw line, further showcasing his ability to attack the rim and capitalize on contact.
His most impressive performance came in the quarterfinals against Canada, where he poured in 22 points, going 5-of-8 from the field and 12-of-13 from the line, including five clutch free throws down the stretch.
That game reflected not just his scoring ability but his calm under pressure and knack for stepping up when it matters most.
It also marked the second straight international event where he was named to the All-Star Five, confirming his status as a global standout.
But there were some clear struggles for AJ during the tournament, particularly when it came to shooting from beyond the arc. He shot just 11% from three on 2.6 attempts per game—a truly poor percentage.
However, it's important to consider the broader context, including the way Team USA played, their tendencies, and the overall style they leaned on.
Given the depth and talent on the roster, it was understandable that the team played an aggressive, fast-paced style with heavy rotations. Even their best player, Dybantsa, averaged only 20 minutes per game.
More crucial than the minutes, though, was the offensive system. While the up-tempo, transition-heavy approach suited AJ well, since he's dominant in the open court and can go coast-to-coast against just about anyone, it also limited other parts of his game.
In fact, 29% of his offensive play types came from transition, by far his most utilized category.
On the other hand, Team USA ran very few actions in half-court sets that could showcase or help develop AJ's shooting.
For example, screen-off plays (where shooters come off screens) made up just 1.8% of their team play types—the lowest rate of any team in the tournament.
Team USA also led the field in transition frequency, with about 25% of their total play types coming in that category.
Notably, Team USA also used pick-and-roll ball-handlers just 8% of the time in the playtype frequency, compared to Germany (their opponent in the final), who ran those plays at a much higher 15% rate.
That difference is significant and highlights how the American system may have limited opportunities for players like AJ to create for themselves out of the PNR situations.
He has proven to be someone who can create a shot for himself out of PNR situations, but I feel like we haven't seen that enough in this tournament.
Only about 12% of AJ's playtypes came from PNR as a ball-handler, which feels like an area that should have been exploited a bit more, in my opinion.
Vukašin Nedeljković
Vukašin played basketball competitively in his youth, and now contributes to Synergy Sports Technology and Sportradar regarding basketball analysis. He also has experience working as a journalist in Serbia and is passionate about writing basketball articles mainly focused on basketball X's and O's.
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