THREE HOURS BEFORE the most anticipated game at the Las Vegas summer league, AJ Dybantsa was on a trainer's table. He was getting a massage and treatment inside the 26,000 square-foot ballroom that serves as the Washington Wizards' facility at Mandalay Bay.
At the same time, assistant coach Cody Toppert was running Dybantsa through video clips on an iPad to show the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft how to attack defenses. No. 2 pick Darryn Peterson and the Utah Jazz were on deck first.
What happened next was normal before a regular-season NBA game but rare at summer league because of the back-to-back contests: Dybantsa stepped onto the Wizards practice court to warm up shooting, taking midrange shots, 3-pointers from all over the court, practicing shot creation moves and working on free throws for over 30 minutes.
From his pregame routine to his 6-foot-9 frame to his thoughtful interviews, Dybantsa looks, acts and sounds like a franchise player. The Wizards, who have not made it past the first round since 2017, have gone 50-196 over the past three seasons. They need the 19-year-old to be great.
"I don't want to sound cocky," Dybantsa's father, Anicet "Ace" Dybantsa Sr., told ESPN. "But he was born ready."
Dybantsa outdueled Peterson in a 92-88 win, scoring 27 points and grabbing seven rebounds in just 26 minutes. He added 23 points and seven more boards against the Sacramento Kings in his second -- and final -- summer league matchup. He became the first No. 1 pick to score 20-plus points in each of his first two games at the Las Vegas summer league, according to ESPN Research. He did this despite shooting just 1-of-11 from 3-point range.
"He's nice," Wizards point guard Trae Young said. "He's going to be great. He's already good now. But people don't understand, I see certain things that he can even be better at. And [that's with him being] already the No. 1 pick.
"He made [scoring 27] look easy."
The vibes around the Wizards were high last week with the entire roster in Las Vegas, including Young and Anthony Davis, whom Washington traded for in separate deals at midseason. Players attended Dybantsa's highly anticipated debut and then attended Young's news conference announcing his new four-year, $212.8 million contract the next morning.
With Davis and Young -- along with recent first-round picks Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, Tre Johnson and Will Riley -- the Wizards have entered the next phase of their reconstruction. With Dybantsa's arrival, the pressure is on to be competitive and make the playoffs for the first time since 2021.
If Dybantsa's summer league debut is a taste of things to come, Wizards owner Ted Leonsis will be thrilled. On one first-half play against Utah, Dybantsa drove past two Jazz defenders, temporarily losing the ball in air before punching in a nasty two-handed dunk that was punctuated by the rookie screaming and flexing his muscles.
Leonsis noticed a fan behind the Wizards bench celebrating more than Dybantsa. He hopes it's a preview of what fans will see at Capital One Arena this season.
"I was watching this guy over there," Leonsis told ESPN at halftime. "That dunk got him out of his seat and that's what I'm talking about.
"[Dybantsa's] kind of the next generation prototype. And this is just his first game."
DYBANTSA WAS RAISED to manage this moment. Ace Dybantsa, a believer of discipline and accountability, had his three kids do 100 pushups daily starting when they were 5. He made sure of it by installing a camera so he could watch them while he was at work.
"It's called tough love," Ace said. "Make him and his sisters accountable since they were babies. If you don't do this, this will happen. That's just the way they work."
Dybantsa was first allowed to do media interviews on camera in the seventh grade. Ace, who is from the Republic of Congo, watched each one and critiqued how his son could improve, pointing out repeated "umms" or leaning too much on phrases such as "You know what I'm saying?" He would also correct Dybantsa's posture.
It's no wonder why Dybantsa is comfortable in front of cameras and a large media scrum. Leonsis couldn't help but notice how Dybantsa's personality reminds him of an all-time DC legend: Washington Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin, the NHL's all-time leading goal scorer.
"What I was impressed with was when we introduce him to people, he makes eye contact, he asks, 'What's his name?' Shakes his hand. He's a very magnanimous personality," said Leonsis, who has won a Stanley Cup as owner of the Capitals. "It reminded me, I hate to say this, of Alex Ovechkin, where he just lights up the room.
"Alex's mother was his agent. Here's [Dybantsa's] dad being his agent. So I just had a really good vibe about it."
His on-court presence is just as impressive. John Wall, the Wizards' No. 1 pick in 2010, who was in attendance for Dybantsa's debut, and others have drawn comparisons between Dybantsa and Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady.
"I've seen some [reporters] force me to say it's kind of like Tracy [McGrady] and Kobe [Bryant] reimagined," Dybantsa said of him and Peterson forming a rivalry while in the league. "They kind of gas it up."
His first basket came on a drive with his left hand before scoring on a reverse with his right hand in traffic that looked reminiscent of McGrady. He used his strength to draw contact and shed defenders. Dybantsa was 12-for-14 from the free throw line under the one free throw rule the NBA was testing at summer league. He handled the ball and used his size on the glass to average seven rebounds in his two outings.
Dybantsa was also determined to show his defensive ability after feeling he was "lazy" on that end while at BYU. He had five steals and three blocks combined in his two games.
On a sequence against Sacramento, he defended a Kings ball handler full court and forced the ball out of bounds at midcourt. After Sacramento inbounded the ball, Dybantsa trapped a Kings player into a turnover with his long arms. On another possession later in the game, he switched onto Sacramento's 7-foor-1 Maxime Raynaud and used his long wingspan, getting the center to pass the ball.
While it was against summer league competition, opponents shot 2-for-16 from the field when Dybantsa was the closest defender, according to GeniusIQ.
"I've been telling my trainers I think I could be a first-team All-Defensive team guy," Dybantsa told reporters of his defensive ceiling after his last game of summer league.
Wizards summer league coach T.J. Sorrentine acknowledged that Dybantsa got tired handling a larger load: He went 1-for-11 from behind the arc in summer league. It was the No. 1 pick's first action since Texas beat BYU in the first round of the NCAA tournament on March 19, when Dybantsa had 35 points and 10 rebounds but shot just 1-for-7 from 3.
Young -- wearing a blue warmup top that read "Washington DC Basketball" on the back -- sat courtside with Davis and the rest of the team to support Dybantsa in his debut. Young said Dybantsa will figure out how to take more "easy shots" and benefit from catch-and-shoot opportunities with him and Davis.
"There's a couple of shots that he turned down because he knows he can get to the basket," Young said. "The NBA is different. Sometimes there's so many games, you need to take the easy shot. He'll learn. That's part of being a young player in this league.
"And that's why you have us around him."
AS YOUNG WALKED into Ballroom 4 in the Four Seasons on Friday morning, ahead of the news conference to announce his re-signing, he was greeted by a familiar and distinct voice.
"Everybody, welcome Trae Young!" Davis bellowed to a room filled with over 50 Wizards staffers and media.
Young smiled. He and Davis have developed an especially chummy rapport in their limited time together since Washington traded for Young in January and Davis in February.
The two moves accelerated the Wizards' reconstruction effort which had been in Phase 1 -- the deconstruction phase -- of a four-part plan. But Michael Winger, president of Monumental Basketball, and general manager Will Dawkins saw an opportunity to add the two former All-Stars to mentor and help lead their young core of Sarr, George, Johnson, Riley and Dybantsa.
While Davis will be eligible to sign an extension in August, the team has time to decide what they want to do with two years remaining on his contract. And despite Davis' name being linked early in free agency to the Golden State Warriors and their pursuit of LeBron James, the big man walked onto the floor looking healthy and smiling in a Wizards sleeveless hoodie and shorts after Dybantsa and the team finished their morning shootaround on July 9.
Asked if he has to get in Davis' ear about wanting to stay in Washington, Young said he has had conversations with him.
"I ain't on it too much," Young said with a smile. "I think he knows where he wants to be right now."
Last year, Young said ahead of his seventh NBA season that it would be his most important. He injured his knee five games into the campaign in Atlanta and played in five more after returning in December before being traded.
Young, who appeared in five games for Washington in 2026, believes the trade "was a blessing in disguise" because he is "definitely where I need to be" in D.C. The four-time All-Star wants to repay Washington's faith in him and said the Wizards are going to get the best version of himself.
"When you've been to where I've been to and you know the type of player you are, you know what group you should be in," Young said. "And when you're not being talked about it, that's motivating. Obviously, I know it could be worse than what I'm feeling, but at the same time I'm very motivated to be back in the conversation of where I should be and where I've been before."
Young, who has averaged 25.1 points and 9.8 assists in his career and led the league in assists in 2024-25, said he has been adding new aspects to his game, including off-the-ball wrinkles.
"People think I'm just a ball dominant person," Young said. "It's hilarious to me. The best version may not be the most points, most assists. It could be. But at the same time, I'm working on so many things right now that I just can't wait to play.
"I got guys who can create double teams, who can drive. And even AJ's going to be creating double teams. You just never know."
Young said Wizards players will be getting together again in Los Angeles this summer for more work and bonding. Dybantsa is looking forward to working out with Young and Davis and learning as much as he can from them.
"When you're playing with a guy of that stature, I'll definitely get easy shots from him if nothing else," Dybantsa said of Young. "[AD] was the No. 1 pick many years back, so he's been through a lot of the stuff that I've got to go through."
With Davis and a young core itching to finally win some games, Young thinks the Wizards can make serious noise in the East. After watching Dybantsa, Young said he was ready to start the season now.
"This team can be super special," Young said. "We can achieve whatever we want to, especially if we have everybody healthy.
"We can do so many things, man. ... I just can't wait to play."
