Washington Wizards rookie AJ Dybantsa suffered a mild ankle sprain during the team's preseason finale against the Pelicans. Head coach Brian Keefe stated Dybantsa was held out as a precaution. Washington hopes the No. 1 pick will be ready for Wednesday's regular-season opener against Milwaukee.
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The Washington Wizards concluded their preseason schedule with a narrow 107-106 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans in an intensely contested exhibition matchup.
However, the final result was overshadowed by an injury scare involving this year's No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft, rookie standout AJ Dybantsa.
Dybantsa rolled his ankle after landing awkwardly following a mid-range pull-up jumper during the second quarter. The highly anticipated rookie immediately showed signs of discomfort and required assistance from the training staff to head back to the Wizards' locker room for further evaluation.
Prior to the exit, the young forward put on an impressive display, dropping 12 points on efficient shooting during his 15 minutes of action. Dybantsa did not return to the floor for the remainder of the contest, sparking immediate concern among the Washington coaching staff and fans alike.
Wizards coach provides an important update
Following the final buzzer, Wizards head coach Brian Keefe provided an update, confirming that Dybantsa had suffered a mild ankle sprain and that the decision to keep him on the bench was purely precautionary.
“AJ’s got an ankle sprain," said head coach Brian Keefe.
“We just took him out of the game for precaution. We’ll look at it more when we get more information," Keefe concluded.
The Wizards are scheduled to officially tip off their regular season on Wednesday night in front of their home crowd against the Milwaukee Bucks.
The organization and supporters will be anxiously monitoring medical updates over the coming days, hoping that Dybantsa will recover in time to make his highly anticipated regular-season NBA debut.
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