The Washington Wizards host the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday in their season opener, but No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa won’t be playing.
On Tuesday, head coach Brian O’Keefe revealed that Dybantsa is out for the opener and is considered day-to-day after suffering an ankle injury in the preseason finale.
AJ Dybantsa (ankle) will not play in Wednesday’s season opener, Brian Keefe said. Dybantsa is considered day-to-day after that, Keefe said.
— Josh Robbins (@JoshuaBRobbins) October 20, 2026
Dybantsa played just one season of college basketball for the BYU Cougars, and the debate was whether or not he or Kansas star Darryn Peterson would be the top pick in the draft.
Dybantsa said after his preseason debut that he wanted to continue to make an impact on the defensive end, something he didn’t do very much in college.
In the preseason finale, Dybantsa played just 14 minutes, scoring 12 points before leaving the game with an injury. He had double digits in points in every preseason game and was on his way to a preseason high before suffering the injury.
AJ Dybantsa injured his ankle on this play Dybantsa limped into the locker room 💔 https://t.co/FAWx312K03
— WizardsMuse (@WizardsMuse1) October 17, 2026
The next chance for Dybantsa’s NBA debut will be on Friday when the Wizards host the Toronto Raptors, and then they travel to Illinois to face the Chicago Bulls on Saturday.
