With Keyonte George and Ace Bailey anchoring the perimeter, Dybantsa’s jumbo-wing versatility completes a towering young core capable of transforming Utah into the league's most unique lineup.
The Utah Jazz have the No. 2 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, and they will be guaranteed to end up with one of Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa or Cameron Boozer. But the interesting thing is that each of those players plays a different position and represents a completely different archetype.
You’ve got Peterson, who is going to be a combo player in the backcourt. He could be your point guard of the future, but also has the ability to play off the ball. You’ve got Dybantsa, who is a jumbo wing who can slide up, do some guard things with the ball in his hands and operate as a primary creator, but can also play in the frontcourt with his size. And then you’ve got Boozer, who is a big who could play power forward or center and have an incredible impact on the game with everything he does.
All three of these players are franchise-cornerstone-level talents, but they are very different.
And when you think about the Jazz roster, Dybantsa definitely makes the most sense. Now, it’s yet to be seen if the Jazz will have a chance to take him at No. 2 or if he goes No. 1 to the Washington Wizards. But if you think about the Jazz depth chart, Keyonte George is already emerging as a high-level guard who, if he takes another leap next season, could be one of the better guards in the league.
In the frontcourt, you have Lauri Markkanen, Kyle Filipowski, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Walker Kessler. Those are all players who can start at either power forward or center, or in some combination in a jumbo lineup.
On the wing, you do have Ace Bailey, who was the Jazz’s top pick last year, but there is certainly more of a need for perimeter-oriented players who are not smaller guards. And that’s why the Jazz would be in great shape with Boozer or Peterson, but in terms of actually rounding out a starting five, having positional versatility and building the future of the franchise from a lineup and rotation standpoint, Dybantsa makes the most sense.
A lineup that includes Keyonte George, Ace Bailey, AJ Dybantsa, Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. is incredible and humongous. George is a bigger guard, and then you’d have four players who are roughly 6-foot-8 or taller around him.
So while the Jazz would be happy with any of the top three players in this draft, Dybantsa makes the most sense from a direct fit standpoint. He fills the biggest archetype need, gives Utah another big wing with on-ball ability and helps round out what could become one of the most unique young lineups in the NBA.
