Washington Wizards Are Building A Good Foundation for AJ Dybantsa

The Washington Wizards don't need AJ Dybantsa, their premier top overall pick, to save them this upcoming year. Weird, right? Usually the number one overall pick has all the pressure weighed on their shoulders to come in and immediately display greatness and install hope into the franchise. No, that’s not needed here, well not to that level of desperation. The Wizards need AJ Dybantsa to develop. Plain and simple. AJ’s development will be one of the Wizards top priorities throughout the course of this upcoming season, and the Wizards have constructed a roster and coaching staff that is hellbent on doing just that. From day one, the Wizards can give AJ enough responsibility to develop superstar skills without requiring superstar production. If AJ struggles offensively for a month, Trae Young is right there to take on as needed. If AJ struggles against an elite wing, Kyshawn George or Bilal Coulibaly can take that assignment. If somebody gets past AJ defensively, Alex Sarr and Anthony Davis are behind him. 

Let's start with Trae Young. Trae can take a massive amount of the playmaking responsibility away from AJ as he doesn't need to enter the NBA and immediately become Washington's primary playmaker or offensive hub. Trae has already proven that he can be one of the league's most productive playmakers, so AJ can spend more time attacking advantages instead of always being responsible for creating those advantages himself. The Wizards can then gradually increase the number of possessions where AJ is responsible for creating offense himself, especially if the Wizards decide to play AJ more with the second unit considering the massive hole at primary initiator off the bench. That's a much easier way to develop a young wing rather than simply handing him the basketball and telling him to be the franchise savior.

Then you have Anthony Davis, whose presence gives Washington an established veteran scoring option. There are going to be grueling nights when AJ simply doesn't have it offensively. Maybe an experienced defender figures out how to make him uncomfortable or maybe the shot just isn’t falling. That's completely normal for a rookie. The difference is the Wizards don’t necessarily need AJ scoring 25 points every night in order to be competitive. Davis can shoulder some of that responsibility while AJ continues learning how to score against NBA defenses. 

Defensively, it's a similar situation because both Alex Sarr and Anthony Davis give AJ elite rim protection behind him. That's important for a young wing because AJ is going to make mistakes. He's going to get beaten off the dribble sometimes and he's going to miss rotations. Having Sarr and Davis protecting the basket gives AJ another layer of protection while he develops defensively and it also gives him the ability to be more aggressive in the perimeter knowing that he has two elite rim protectors right behind him. 

Then there's Kyshawn George. Kyshawn’s versatility becomes even more essential when you're developing someone like AJ. If Kyshawn becomes the Wizards primary point of attack defender, primarily in the starting lineup, AJ doesn't have to spend his rookie season guarding the opposing team's best perimeter scorer every single grueling night. If you're expecting AJ to eventually become a major offensive creator, there's value in having another big wing capable of taking some of those daunting defensive matchups.

The same patience should apply to AJ's shooting. He doesn't need to instantaneously become a 38 percent three point shooter for his rookie season in order for the team to be successful. If the jumper takes time, let it take time. Instead, AJ can focus on developing and establishing his strengths early on in his career, and one of his biggest strengths is attacking the basket. AJ averaged about 8.5 free throw attempts per game at BYU. That ability to collapse the defense and draw contact gives him another avenue for producing offense when the jumper isn't falling. He can attack the rim, get to the free throw line, run in transition, cut without the basketball and crash the offensive glass. The Wizards should do their best to simplify the game for him rather than making it difficult. 

Also, a silver lining of having AJ playing alongside a ball dominant guard like Trae is that it could force AJ to develop and finetune his off ball game that needs much refinement. AJ can learn how to cut, relocate, screen and attack a defense that's paying too much attention to Trae. Developing those critical off ball skills early on his career could ultimately make AJ an even more complete offensive player much faster than expected. 

However, with that being said, AJ still needs the basketball. There should absolutely be possessions where Trae gets out of the way and Washington tells AJ to create. Let him run pick and rolls. Let him isolate. Let him make reads. Let him turn the basketball over sometimes. That's how he's eventually going to become the player the Wizards hope he can become. 

All in all, Trae Young can run the offense, Anthony Davis can provide veteran production and rim protection, Kyshawn George and Bilal Coulibaly can take difficult defensive assignments. That should allow AJ Dybantsa to focus on becoming AJ Dybantsa at the pro level. The Wizards brought him in because they believe he can eventually develop into a superstar MVP type level player, but that doesn't necessarily mean he has to prove his entire skillset during his rookie season. The Wizards don't need AJ Dybantsa to save the franchise immediately. Instead, they just need to build an environment that allows him to develop into the player who could eventually lead it.