BYU got knocked out of the NCAA Tournament yesterday, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying by freshman superstar AJ Dybantsa. The top recruit played all 40 minutes against Texas and poured in 35 of his team’s 71 points, but unfortunately for the Cougars, it wasn’t enough for them to survive and advance to the Round of 32.
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That’s almost certainly the last time college basketball fans will see Dybantsa in March Madness, because he’s guaranteed to be a top pick in this June’s NBA Draft. Dybantsa was projected to be an NBA star even while in high school, and nothing he’s done in college has dispelled that notion.
On Get Up this morning, ESPN college basketball analyst Sean Farnham said that even in a historically loaded draft class, Dybantsa has to be the No. 1 pick.
“He’s been number one all season for me,” Farnham said. “How do you watch him and not immediately close your eyes and believe that he’s gonna be a star at the next level? There’s holes in his game that he has to improve, but he’s accomplished everything you could ask.”
“He broke Kevin Durant’s Big 12 Tournament scoring record, he’s a First Team All-American, he led the nation in scoring,” he continued. “Third-highest scoring by a freshman [ever], and when Richie Saunders went out, he took his game to a whole other level.”
Farnham is right that Dybantsa has done everything that’s been asked of him and more. He mentioned Richie Saunders being out, and that’s what really killed BYU’s season, as the Cougars just didn’t have a viable Robin to Dybantsa’s Batman after the sharpshooting senior went down with a torn ACL just over a month ago.
From that point on, BYU went 4-6 to close out the season, despite Dybantsa averaging 28.5 points per game during that stretch.
Kansas freshman Darryn Peterson is someone that has been considered a candidate for the No. 1 pick, but his lack of availability could scare teams off. Cameron Boozer has been phenomenal for Duke with his playmaking ability, but he’s not nearly as athletic or imposing as Dybantsa.
Other freshmen like UNC’s Caleb Wilson and Arkansas’ Darius Acuff Jr. have also been great and should round out the top five, but Dybantsa appears to be the total package.
“Six-foot-nine, 40-inch vertical leap, smooth with the ball in his hands, the ability to facilitate and make those around him better,” Farnham gushed. “He’s as elite as you will find in a draft that has a lot of elite players.”
Seeing Dybantsa and the rest of this freshman class play, it’s clear why so many NBA teams have been unabashedly tanking this season. Securing a top pick is paramount for teams that aren’t contenders already.
If someone like Dybantsa lands on a team like the Pacers, who will get Tyrese Haliburton back next year, or the Mavs, who already have Cooper Flagg, it could be a complete game-changer.
Dybantsa hasn’t officially declared for the draft yet, but it’s only a matter of time until he does. After that, it’s all up to the ping pong balls.
