After losing nearly 200 games over the past three seasons, the Washington Wizards ushered in a new era by drafting BYU freshman forward AJ Dybantsa with the first pick Tuesday.
The Wizards selected Dybantsa over Kansas freshman guard Darryn Peterson to help turn the franchise around. Entering the draft, Dybantsa and Peterson were widely considered to be the top two prospects.
"I was just super confident. I've been betting on myself for a while now," Dybantsa said. "Since about ninth grade I've been No. 1, so I didn't really plan on dropping in the draft."
Dybantsa joins John Wall (2010) and Kwame Brown (2001) as Washington's only No. 1 picks.
After finishing 17-65 last season -- their third straight season with 64 or more losses -- the Wizards enter a new stage of the four-phase plan that Michael Winger, president of Monumental Basketball, and general manager Will Dawkins created to reshape the franchise.
The deconstruction phase is over, and Washington is working on the second and third phases, simultaneously laying the foundation and building it. The Wizards accelerated their rebuild by trading for Trae Young and Anthony Davis last season to enhance a young core of Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, Tre Johnson, Will Riley, Bub Carrington and Bilal Coulibaly.
"Obviously they have a great young core, and the potential is there," said Dybantsa, who was called by his full name, Anicet Dybantsa Jr., in tribute to his father. "Them adding me, I think I can help them a little bit. Them re-signing Trae Young, them having A.D. and having good vets along with our young core. I think we can do big things."
The addition of Dybantsa is expected to help Washington become a playoff contender.
"We're on the plan that we articulated," Wizards owner Ted Leonsis told ESPN last month after winning the draft lottery. "We actually are a year ahead of the plan because I thought it would take four to five years and this really was the third offseason where we were developing young players, deconstructing, looking to add for the go forward.
"I feel that we can now live the plan [after deconstructing and losing the past three seasons]."
A major feature of the plan is drafting Dybantsa as a pillar. The 6-foot-9 BYU standout averaged 25.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.1 steals while shooting 51% from the field in his lone collegiate season. With the addition of the 19-year-old forward, Washington is ready to be competitive and win games this season.
"You get a guy like AJ Dybantsa, he is like a young Tracy McGrady to me," Wall told ESPN last month when he represented the Wizards at the draft lottery. "Got the hesi-pull, super athletic, got all the tools. Do you take AJ and move him to the 3 and then you put Kyshawn [George] at the 2? Now you got a tall-ass lineup to help with Trae Young being a small guard, and Kyshawn's 6-8, AJ's 6-9 -- that might be one of the tallest lineups in the league."
The Wizards have not been to the playoffs since a first-round exit in 2021. They haven't won 50 games in a season since 1978-79. Since their most recent playoff appearance, the Wizards have gone 120-290 (.293), the worst record in the NBA during that span. They have lost at least 16 straight games four separate times since 2023-24, as many as the rest of the league combined over that stretch, according to ESPN Research.
"We have a lot of work to do," Leonsis said last month. "We still have to make sure that we have the chemistry of the team correctly and the hierarchy develops the right way and that we're coachable and whatever system will work for the players that we have. And I know I've always wanted to build a team that's as good as the fanbase. And if there's one thing that I do feel comfortable now is that I think we have the tools to do that."
Peterson was taken at No. 2 by the Utah Jazz. Cameron Boozer, the college player of the year in his one season at Duke, was taken at No. 3 by the Memphis Grizzlies. North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson, the other consensus top-four pick, went to the Chicago Bulls with the next selection.
The uncertainty was expected to begin at No. 5. The LA Clippers used it on Illinois guard Keaton Wagler. The host Brooklyn Nets then went with Louisville guard Mikel Brown Jr.
Darius Acuff Jr. to the Sacramento Kings at No. 7 and Kingston Flemings to the Atlanta Hawks at No. 8 continued the run of scoring guards -- and freshmen. The eight straight college freshman taken to begin the draft matched the record set last year.
The Dallas Mavericks ended that run and went back to the bigs -- creating a reunion in the process -- by taking Morez Johnson Jr. from national champion Michigan at No. 9. Dusty May left the Wolverines to coach the Mavericks on the eve of the draft.
Johnson was congratulated by Michigan teammates Yaxel Lendeborg and Aday Mara, who were also in the green room and went to the Golden State Warriors at No. 11 and Oklahoma City Thunder at No. 12, respectively.
The Milwaukee Bucks, who are losing two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, picked up two rookies. They took Arizona guard Brayden Burries with the No. 10 pick and are acquiring the rights to Tennessee forward Nate Ament, who was taken at No. 13 by the Heat but is part of the package Miami is sending to Milwaukee in the trade for Antetokounmpo that was agreed to Monday.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.