After Tyrese Haliburton tore his Achilles, the Indiana Pacers made the decision to tank this year to try to nab a top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. And they did a great job, as they are 16-56, with the worst record in the NBA.
With that in mind, there’s no possibility where they don’t get a top-three pick. Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman believes so as well, and in his mock draft has the Pacers selecting A.J. Dybantsa from BYU, who he compared to Boston Celtics Finals MVP Jaylen Brown.
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“Despite the early NCAA tournament exit, AJ Dybantsa went out with a 35-point game against Texas to secure his NCAA leading scoring title. While Darryn Peterson and Cameron Boozer will remain in the No. 1 overall conversation, Dybantsa's case right now has the fewest holes. His production is backed up by a 60.0 true shooting percentage and plenty of second-half highlights and sequences that highlight the ability to carry a team and take over a game…No team competing for the No. 1 pick will have any roster logjam or fit questions when considering Dybantsa,” Wasserman wrote.
This past season with the Cougars, Dybantsa averaged 25.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.1 steals in 34.8 minutes per game. He’s a purebred scorer, but also a decent playmaker and good defender.
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And, pair him up with arguably the best playmaker in the NBA, and he can be one of the better scorers in the NBA next season, even as a rookie. Plus, a duo of Haliburton and Dybantsa for the next few seasons would be electric, and if the Pacers can re-sign both, the two could become Indiana legends.
This pick would give them a starting five of Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Dybantsa, Pascal Siakam, and Ivica Zubac, which is a championship-level squad. Hopefully, the Pacers realize this, and pray they get that No. 1 overall pick.
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