With the Washington Wizards officially set to pick first in the 2026 NBA Draft, an early consensus emerges with what the front office should do with the top overall pick.
With the order now officially set for the upcoming 2026 NBA Draft, there is an early consensus for who the Washington Wizards will turn to with the top overall pick.
Within the first hour of the order being revealed, CBS Sports, Yahoo, USA Today and ESPN all projected the Wizards to draft former BYU star forward AJ Dybantsa with the top overall pick.
The 6-foot-9, 215-pound impact forward has been in the conversation for the top overall pick even before he made his decision to attend BYU, committing to the Cougars over Kentucky among others. He then went on to become the star player that many envisioned him capable of becoming where he won seemingly every award possible while being crowned the NCAA scoring champion after averaging 25.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists on 51% shooting from the field and 33.1% from three.
ESPN pointed to Dybantsa being "a strong fit for Washington on paper" with a chance to add another dynamic piece to what could be a strong starting five featuring Alex Sarr, Anthony Davis and Trae Young.
"NBA teams view his excellent size and powerful, physical style as hallmarks of a potential franchise-level talent. He has room for realistic growth as a perimeter shooter and defender, and checks all the boxes NBA teams look for in a future star at a coveted position."
Dybantsa also overtook former Kansas guard Darryn Peterson in the race for the top overall pick over the final weeks of the 2025-26 regular season with Peterson struggling with availability throughout his lone season in Lawrence, playing in just 24 games while missing ether the full or parts of the second half after dealing with cramping. Peterson recently opened up about his health struggles through his freshman season while he will get a chance to prove himself again over the next six weeks.
As for Washington, the possible addition of Dybantsa on the Wizards roster would accentuate a question mark at the depth position after already battling through a logjam through the 2025-26 season.
Despite an early consensus emerging, it would make sense for general manager Will Dawkins and the front office to take a patient approach with the top of the class given the draft evaluation marks the lone time that teams will be able to meet with players for the first few years of their NBA careers, giving possible insight into potential moves that could materialize in the seasons ahead.