Where Washington Wizards' AJ Dybantsa Ranks on NBA Rookie Ladder

The Washington Wizards struck gold when their name was called for the number one pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, delivering on a season-long mission that hoped to mark the end of the rebuild era. With little drama throughout the saga, Dybantsa arrived in Washington look to deliver on his goal of lifting the organization back to the postseason for the first time since the 2020-21 season spearheaded by Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal.

13 games into his NBA career, Dybantsa finds himself battling among several rookies after checking in at fifth in the latest rookie ladder, being dethroned from the top spot and battling several rookies once again. Warriors forward Yaxel Lenderborg leads NBA.com's latest rankings ahead of Kings guard Darius Acuff Jr., Grizzlies forward Cam Boozer, Jazz guard Darryn Peterson and Dybantsa.

Since the latest rankings were released on Wednesday, Dybantsa has since tallied his first two NBA blocks in the 11 point loss against the Detroit Pistons on Monday night, ending his night with 21 points on 47.1% shooting. He followed it up with a quieter performance in Thursday night's double overtime loss three days later, though both of Dybantsa's made field goals proved notable given the first came from three that tied the game at 64 in the opening minute of the second half. His second came on a jumper at the free throw line that sent the game into double overtime, ending his night with just five points. Still, it marked the third consecutive game that Dybantsa recorded at least one block, a deserving feat for a 19 year old who made defense a point of emphasis ahead of the start of his rookie season.

“I think I can be a first-team All-Defensive team guy,” Dybantsa said during Summer League. “That’s just where I’m trying to make an impact, on the defensive end. In college, I was being a lot lazy on the defense end, just letting guys blow by me, not being a help-side (defender). But I definitely want to bring it to the next level.”

Point guard Trae Young pointed to the opportunity to get Dybantsa more touches as an area of growth for the Wizards as Thursday night ended a four-game double figures scoring streak for the rookie. Through 13 games, Dybantsa ranks fourth among rookies with 15 points per game, doing so while shooting 41% from the field and 23.3% from three and grabbing 6.1 rebounds per game.

Though Dybantsa joins the rest of the revamped Wizards' roster still working on adjusting to each other's play styles while ironing out the kinks within the halfcourt offense, Dybantsa's two-way impact has been nearly consistent.

Amid the six game losing streak and Dybantsa overlooking personal achievements along the way, Washington will return to action on Sunday against the Houston Rockets, the first of two straight inside Capital One Arena.