AJ Dybantsa Confident in Replicating Spurs' Turnaround in NBA, 'It Won't Take That Long'
BYU star AJ Dybantsa is all but assured to wind up on a rebuilding team in the 2026 NBA draft, but he doesn't foresee a long road to contention.
The highly skilled forward drew a comparison to the San Antonio Spurs, who are in the NBA Finals in Victor Wembanyama's third season.
"It won't take that long, especially with my adaptability and my work ethic," he said to the Associated Press' Brian Mahoney. "I think that will be, I'm not going to say easy, but pretty similar to what these guys do in terms of the forecast."
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Dybantsa is generally considered the top overall prospect in a strong draft class. Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman projects him to go No. 1 to the Washington Wizards.
The 6'9" forward led Division I in scoring (25.5 points) while adding 6.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists per night. He possesses a well-rounded game and the kind of physical tools that could propel him to NBA stardom.
Still, Dybantsa might be overly optimistic in assuming he and his next team can replicate the Spurs' rapid rise.
Teams typically don't arrive ahead of schedule like San Antonio has.
LeBron James and Kobe Bryant were in their fourth seasons when they appeared in the NBA Finals for the first time, and the latter had the advantage of playing alongside a prime Shaquille O'Neal. Michael Jordan didn't get there until Year 7 on the Chicago Bulls.
And unlike the Spurs, the most successful franchises in recent years had to experience some playoff heartbreak before they found themselves on the verge of a title.
This all serves to underscore how exceptional a talent Wembanyama is. Having a star as good as him who's also 7'4" is a bit of a cheat code.
It's impossible for the Wizards, assuming they take Dybantsa, to follow San Antonio's formula.
Washington should be competitive in 2026-27 with a roster built around young talent and established veterans in Trae Young and Anthony Davis. Unless Dybantsa happens to add six inches to frame between now and opening night, it could be a few years before the team is a serious contender.
