AJ Dybantsa Adds Undeniable Offensive Touch to Washington Wizards

You can't always make drastic conclusions from performances in the NBA Summer League. 

It's about seeing flashes, and what the process looks like. For Wizards' number-one overall pick AJ Dybantsa, he's shown plenty of that. It's early, but Dybantsa's game opens the window to what his overall impact looks like on offense for the team. I think it will be massive.

In two games, Dybantsa serves as a top-five scorer in the Vegas Summer League, averaging 25 points per night. His scoring has come on the lower-side of efficiency at 39%, but a lot of that can be attributed to his 1 for 11 shooting from the outside.

He hasn't been afraid to keep shooting from the outside, as he averaged 5.5 attempts per night so far. His jump shot may need time, but that doesn't diminish his scoring ability. Dybantsa has lived at the rim and free throw line. That's not a surprise to anyone who watched him lead the NCAA in scoring last season.

In just two games, he's averaging seven attempts at the line per game, but that number is deceiving because of the NBA's experiment with the two-points for one free throws. In a normal NBA setting, he'd be averaging 14-15 per night.

Dybantsa aspires for greatness in his career. He's been vocal on that front in his media appearances.

"I spoke to Dwyane Wade right before the draft and I told him I want to be a Hall of Famer and he said that's what he wanted  too until he got selected for the top 75 and that was like a bigger moment for him than the hall of fame," Dybantsa said. "So he said 20 years from now will be the 100th anniversary and I should be aiming for the top 100 instead of just the hall of fame so that's my new goal."

Playmaking is an area Dybantsa has a major chance to excel as a rookie. He's been very ball-dominant in the Summer League, but it's logical to assume his role on-ball will be less when on the floor with Trae Young and Kyshawn George. However, in opportunities on the ball, Dybantsa generates gravity. 

As the two games have progressed, he's seen aggressive defensive coverages and doubles. Also, because of his driving ability, the paint has sometimes featured as much as four defenders trying to congest it.

Dybantsa's playmaking can be as good as he wants it to be. His ability to command attention bodes well for his future as his role on-ball likely increases. Despite high usage in the Summer League, he's protected the ball, only averaging two per night.

There's been some instances where Dybantsa has missed some open players while he's drove to the rim, but he's already shown a level of awareness of his missed opportunities.

After the game, he admitted on the broadcast he knew he had missed an open Will Riley, and he wants to prioritize getting his teammates good looks. He should have plenty of opportunities in his career to playmake.

Dybantsa has shown he'll be a more than capable scorer in the NBA. His impact can be much greater than that on offense because of his playmaking potential. His ability to skip the ball wing-to-wing with his off hand is impressive. When the ball is in his hands, the defense has to move with him.

His rookie season should be fascinating to see what his true role will be. In the Summer League, he's shown what he's capable of when he has the ball. 

The Wizards are back in action in the Summer League tonight, as they take on the Chicago Bulls at 8:00 P.M.

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