AJDybantsa

Preseason question: How will Dybantsa’s role evolve in year one? He has landed in the NBA in an unusual spot for a no. 1 pick: slotted between the stars the Wizards recently imported and the youth movement they have been cultivating for years. Nothing in Washington is so established that it should stand in his way, yet he won’t be given the full reins of the offense just yet. That’s OK. Dybantsa has the kind of talent that can’t be contained—the kind that spills out whenever a defense is on the backfoot or in chaos, that surges to turn every semi-transition opportunity into a full-blown fast break. His knack for getting downhill is too uncanny not to lean into, and his ability to sidestep (and step through) defenders should help him navigate Washington’s clunkier lineups. There’s a lot for Dybantsa to iron out before he’s ready to carry a team of his own. He’s also so immediately capable that, over the course of his rookie year, his game will demand more and more opportunities to try.