Withtheregularseasonwindingdownandthestandingstightening,thefocusaroundtheSacramento Kings hasincreasinglyshiftedtowardthe2026 NBA Draft andwhatthefranchisemightdoifitlandsnearthetopofthelottery.
DraftanalystNathan Grubel,whocoversprospectsaroundtheworldforNo Ceilings,joined Sactown Sports’TheDriveGuys tobreakdowntheclassanddiscusspotentialoptionsforSacramento as the regular season winds down.
WhileGrubelpersonallyranks Duke forwardCameron Boozer asthetopoverallprospect,hebelievesthe SacramentoKingswouldlikelygoinadifferentdirectioniftheyendedupwiththeNo.1pick.
“IfyouhadtoaskmewhoIthinktheSacramentoKingswoulddraftatone,IthinktheKingswouldtakeAJ Dybantsa,”Grubelsaid. “Thestrengthsforthisguy —hisathleticism,hislength,hissizeatsix-foot-nine —areunbelievable.”
PROVO, UT - NOVEMBER 11: AJ Dybantsa #3 of the Brigham Young Cougars celebrates a score with fans during the second half of their game against the Delaware Blue Hens at the Marriott Center on November 11, 2025 in Provo, Utah. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images) Sacramento Kings
(Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
More on the 2026 NBA Draft & AJ Dybantsa
AJ Dybantsa has been a force for BYU this season, averaging 25.3 points (leads NCAA Division I), 6.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.1 steals per game on 51 percent shooting from the field, 34 percent from long distance, and 76 percent from the charity stripe.
Dybantsa’sabilitytotakeovergamesisoneofthetraitsthatcontinuestostandouttoscouts.Grubelrecalledseeingthestarprospectinpersonearlierthisseasonandwatchinghimdominateinthesecondhalfofamarqueematchup.
“InthatsecondhalfwhenIgottoseeitwithmyowntwoeyes,whathewasabletodooutofthemid-post —backingguysdown,operatingasafacilitatorinthemiddleofthefloor —itreallystoodout,”Grubelsaid. “Weknowhecanhitmid-rangeshots,hedrivestothebasketatahighrate,andwhenhedoestakethrees,he’sbeenprettydecent.”
Still,GrubelacknowledgedthatDybantsaisn’taperfectprospect.Someevaluatorshaveraisedquestionsabouthowhewouldfitifhedoesn’timmediatelyhavetheballinhishandsattheNBAlevel.
AJ DYBANTSA ETCHES HIS NAME IN BIG 12 TOURNAMENT HISTORY 🔥
Dybantsa has 93 points in the Big 12 tournament, passing Kevin Durant (92 in 2007) for most in a single tournament. pic.twitter.com/O66gWQiJpg
— ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) March 13, 2026
“Ifyouwouldn’twanttotakeAJ,itwouldprobablycomedowntosomeoftheoff-ballquestionsoffensively,”Grubelexplained. “Hehasn’talwaysbeenthecleanestcatch-and-shootplayer,anddefensivelyhecanlosehismanattimesawayfromthebasketball.”
Evenwiththoseconcerns,Grubelbelievestheupsideisundeniable,andthepositivesoutweighthenegatives.
“Iwanttofocusonwhotheplayercanberatherthanwhotheycan’tbe,”hesaid. “WithAJ,thestrengthsarereallystrong.”
WhileGrubelstilllistsBoozerslightlyaheadofDybantsaonhispersonalboard,hesaidthegapbetweenthetwoprospectshasshrunkastheseasonhasprogressed.
“IsaidIhaveCamnumberoneandI’mstickingbyit,”Grubelsaid. “ButthegapbetweenhimandAJisn’tasbigasIthoughtitwouldbe.Thosetwohavereallyseparatedthemselvesatthetop.”
Forthe SacramentoKings,landingatoppickinthe2026NBADraftcouldprovidearareopportunitytoaddapotentialfranchisecornerstone —andDybantsamayultimatelybetheplayeratthecenterofthatconversation as March Madness unfolds.
Check out the full conversation by scrolling to the top of the page or by clicking here.
Listen to The Drive Guys from 2 – 6 p.m. PST, Monday through Friday, on Sactown Sports 1140.
More Sacramento Kings content from Sactown Sports
When is the next Sacramento Kings game?
The Sacramento Kings will make a brief one-game road trip to Los Angeles for a matchup against the red-hot Clippers.
Los Angeles is 2-0 against the Kings this season, including a 114-111 win over Sacramento in the most recent meeting between these two Pacific Division foes on February 6th.
Be sure to catch all of the Sacramento Kings vs. Los Angeles Clippers action right here on Sactown Sports 1140 AM, with pregame coverage beginning at 6:00 PM PT on Game Night before a 7:30 pm PT tip-off from the Intuit Dome in Inglewood.
Upcoming Sacramento Kings schedule for the 2025-26 season
Saturday, March 14th @ Los Angeles Clippers – 7:30 PM PT
Sunday, March 15th vs. Utah Jazz – 7:00 PM PT
Tuesday, March 17th vs. San Antonio Spurs – 7:00 PM PT
Thursday, March 19th vs. Philadelphia 76ers – 7:00 PM PT
Sunday, March 22nd vs. Brooklyn Nets – 3:00 PM PT
Thank you for readingSactownSports.com. Follow us onTwitterandGoogle News, and subscribe to ourYouTubechannel.