Why Aj Dybantsa’s Relatively Quiet Byu Debut Won’t Dim Top Nba Pick Expectations

LAS VEGAS — The timepiece ticked down nether 2 minutes. BYU’s lead was six, and nan important contingent of Cougars fans who had made nan 5½-hour travel stood successful unison. It was AJ Dybantsa’s clip to shine. 

Dybantsa was having a beardown assemblage debut, without question, ticking toward 20 points pinch coagulated efforts successful nan rebound and assistance column. But erstwhile you’ve been touted nan measurement Dybantsa has since early successful his precocious schoolhouse career, fans are ever hunting more. BYU’s especially: They’ve ne'er had (and whitethorn ne'er person again) a talent don their azygous rather for illustration Dybantsa. Some fans were already rocking Dybantsa jerseys and different cogwheel pinch his sanction connected it, a motion of nan anticipation that this debut came with. 

The wiry helping sized up his man (Villanova redshirt freshman Matthew Hodge), received nan use of a difficult surface from his halfway Keba Keita, and went to work. He probed patiently, felt nan double squad statesman to illness connected him, past acrobatically spun from nan correct elbow to nan near baseline and scooped successful a bucket pinch nan near hand. 

The crowd predictably exploded, almost outshouting nan P.A. announcer successful nan process. It was nan prima infinitesimal they had been waiting for and what functioned arsenic a clinching bucket successful a 71–66 No. 8 BYU triumph that was person than nan Cougars mightiness person bargained for successful nan 2nd half. 

“Down nan stretch, we put nan shot successful his hands and he made plays,” BYU coach Kevin Young said. “His first game, to person nan poise to beryllium capable to do that, I thought was impressive.”

“[Young] was conscionable telling maine to support attacking nan rim because they didn’t want to foul [in nan bonus],” Dybantsa said. “I conscionable listened to that advice.” 

BYU hasn’t had this level of buzz entering a play since Jimmer Mania was sweeping nan federation 15 years ago. The apical 10 preseason ranking, nan prime-time showcase crippled to unfastened nan season, nan dozens of NBA scouts search their each move … each that stems from Dybantsa’s beingness (though elder Richie Saunders is simply a prima successful his ain right). Dybantsa conceded successful a postgame question and reply pinch Turner Sports’ Grant Hill that he sees “the rankings [and] nan draught boards” everywhere; nan impending conflict betwixt him, Kansas’s Darryn Peterson, Duke’s Cameron Boozer and perhaps others for nan 2026 NBA draft’s No. 1 pick will bent complete his each move this season. 

That intends over-scrutinizing conscionable astir everything. One newsman referred to his time successful nan postgame news convention arsenic a “quiet” 21 points. That a 21-point, six-rebound, three-assist time tin beryllium considered quiet is an illustration of conscionable really large nan hype that surrounds Dybantsa tin be. Was it a cleanable debut? Certainly not: Young pointed to a fewer chaotic drives successful nan first half that he nudged Dybantsa astir astatine nan break; his prima responded by playing much nether power erstwhile going to nan rim successful nan second. He took conscionable 1 three, a accomplishment scouts will beryllium keen to support an oculus connected aft a reliable shooting capacity astatine nan U19 World Cup this summer. He near points astatine nan line, shooting conscionable 2 for 7 connected free throws. 

But that we are tin of successful immoderate measurement minimizing Dybantsa’s debut (in a high-level crippled against a value opponent, a rarity for astir high-major teams these days) successful immoderate measurement illustrates his brilliance much than immoderate acrobatic finish, hand-in-face 3 aliases clutch three-point play. He’s nan feline Villanova coach Kevin Willard called “one of nan champion precocious schoolhouse players I’ve seen travel retired successful a agelong time.” One NBA scout Sports Illustrated spoke to earlier nan play went further, saying that astatine his best, Dybantsa was “probably nan champion precocious schoolhouse player” he had ever evaluated. 

And truthful nan flashes for illustration nan 1 that delivered nan finishing rustle to a plucky underdog Villanova squad are expected astatine times to beryllium much than conscionable flashes. It makes it easy to hide it was Dybantsa’s first crippled nether nan agleam lights that are assemblage basketball. BYU played 2 high-profile exhibitions (at Nebraska and successful Salt Lake City vs. North Carolina) that Dybantsa had shined in, but Dybantsa said it was “definitely different” this time. After 2 apt wins astatine home, Dybantsa will get UConn adjacent his hometown of Brockton, Mass., successful Boston; Wisconsin successful Salt Lake City; and later a travel to Madison Square Garden arsenic portion of nan Jimmy V Classic successful early December. The tests will beryllium early and often, nan NBA eyeballs changeless and plentiful. 

That’s each portion of what became an inevitability for Dybantsa from nan infinitesimal his banal genuinely exploded successful 2023, 1 that has only been magnified by his unconventional prime to walk his lone twelvemonth of assemblage astatine BYU alternatively of a accepted blueblood. One root acquainted pinch nan Dybantsa family said past twelvemonth that beyond BYU’s immense financial offer, Dybantsa liked nan thought of being the star for a school, not simply conscionable different five-star successful a agelong database of early pros. He sewage that (with a monolithic instrumentality guidelines already successful emotion pinch him) astatine BYU. 

Will his tenure unrecorded up to nan bonzer expectations? Only clip will tell. But Dybantsa showed capable successful his collegiate opening enactment to beryllium why his prima has grown to these extremes … and why he’s much than talented capable to beryllium each nan fawning praise correct successful time.

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