In only days, AJ Dybantsa will have the chance to do something no other BYU Cougar has ever done: Be the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft.
If it is Dybantsa’s name that is read first by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, it would be “one of the greatest moments in BYU sports history,” says Jarom Jordan, co-host of “BYUtv Sports Nation.”
“BYU hasn’t had that ‘superstar’ at the NBA level,” Jordan said. “To have a guy that has a potential Hall of Fame arc here, to be one of, if not the, best player in the league at some point in the future, that ceiling is super high. It’s never been higher for a player coming out of BYU.”
However, lurking right behind the Washington Wizards’ No. 1 selection is the Utah Jazz, who will have their highest draft pick since 1980. For many BYU fans in the state of Utah, there is an internal debate between whether they want Dybantsa to go first overall, or fall to the Jazz at No. 2.
When asked whether they’d like to see Dybantsa go No.1 to the Wizards or No. 2 to the Jazz, lifelong BYU and Jazz fan Ryker Simmons said his loyalty leans more toward the player than his NBA team.
“As an AJ fan, I’d rather see him go No. 1 overall, because the pay is more, he can go into Washington and make an impact and have a better chance at the Rookie of the Year,” the Ogden native said.
Positionally, the fit for Dybantsa in his rookie season makes sense in Washington. Between Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Walker Kessler, the Jazz’s starting frontcourt could be hard for a rookie to sneak his way into. Dybantsa might have a better chance to be an opening-night starter in Washington.
Another fan, Provo’s Esther Sanford, recalled the days when former BYU player and national player of the year Jimmer Fredette was in the NBA. She would rather see Dybantsa go No. 2 if it means getting to see him play more often.
“I selfishly always wanted Jimmer to play for the Jazz,” she said. “Every single time his teams would play against Utah, I would make sure to go to that game, whether it was the Kings, or Pelicans, or Suns. I don’t want to do that with AJ. I would much rather have him play in Utah every day instead of once a season.”
To Jordan, while a BYU player going No. 1 overall would be a “big deal,” he can’t help but think of the hypothetical of Dybantsa suiting up in a purple mountain jersey.
“What if he’s with the Jazz and one day they win a title? Then he’s in the all-time pantheon of Utah sports greats,” Jordan said.
Regardless of Dybantsa’s place in the draft, his impact on the future of BYU men’s basketball is evident. In March, five-star prospect Bruce Branch III signed with BYU after seeing Dybantsa and Egor Demin’s success in Provo.
“(Dybantsa) is the door opener. He is the conversation starter. He is the prototype that any top-level player wants to emulate,” said Justin Young, director of recruiting for BYU men’s basketball, when asked what top prospects view when considering BYU as a landing spot.
In Dybantsa’s lone season at BYU, he led the nation with 25.5 points per game and was named a first-team All-American.
Most mock drafts have Dybantsa slotted to go No. 1 overall, including NBAdraft.net, ESPN and Bleacher Report.
BYU men’s basketball coach Kevin Young, meanwhile, doesn’t have an opinion one way or the other.
“Outside of draft night, what pick you are doesn’t really matter,” Young said. “It’s more about what you do when you get there. I think AJ is the best player in the draft. … Whoever selects AJ, I’ll instantly be a fan of that team.”