AJ Dybantsa did not wait long to announce himself to the NBA. The No. 1 pick in June's draft, finally cleared after a sprained ankle cost him the first four games of the season, led the Washington Wizards with 19 points in his debut on Wednesday night, scoring on 8-of-12 shooting in a performance that had his coach, his teammates and even his opponents talking. Washington still lost 121-111 at Cleveland, but the night belonged to the 19-year-old rookie.
The AJ Dybantsa NBA debut had been one of the most anticipated first appearances of the young season. Wizards fans had waited through four games to see the teenager who led the nation in scoring at BYU last season, and Dybantsa made sure the wait felt worthwhile within seconds of tip-off.
Dybantsa started at shooting guard and wasted no time. On his very first possession, he drove past James Harden and looked headed for a dunk, only for Jarrett Allen to foul him 16 seconds into the game. Dybantsa calmly made both free throws to open his professional scoring account.
"I wanted my first basket to be a dunk so bad," Dybantsa said afterwards. "I was telling my dad that, but I mean it's cool, got fouled."
His first field goal came on an alley-oop from Trae Young, and he kept rolling from there, scoring nine points in the first quarter. He finished with 19 points, two rebounds, two assists and two turnovers in about 27 minutes, a line that ties for fourth in franchise history for a debut.
Washington looked good early. Another alley-oop, this time off a pass from Kyshawn George, pushed the Wizards' lead to 76-63 early in the third quarter, and Washington led by 13 at one point. Cleveland, however, refused to fold. The Cavaliers cut the gap to seven, went on a 14-6 run, and took their first lead since late in the first quarter when Evan Mobley's layup made it 94-92. After trailing 105-104, Cleveland scored nine straight points to take control and close out the 121-111 win.
Mobley finished with 24 points and a career-high five three-pointers, Peyton Watson added 22 and Donovan Mitchell scored 19 for the Cavaliers. For Washington, Anthony Davis and Alex Sarr each scored 18, and Bilal Coulibaly added 17, making his first eight shots of the night.
Dybantsa arrived in the NBA with a reputation built on scoring. He led the nation at 25.5 points per game at BYU last season before Washington made him the No. 1 overall pick in June's draft. He is one of three No. 1 picks on the Wizards' roster, alongside Anthony Davis and Deandre Ayton, a remarkable concentration of top-pick talent on a rebuilding team.
The sprained ankle that delayed his debut was a frustration for everyone involved. Washington opened the season without its prize rookie, and the first four games passed with Dybantsa in street clothes. Coach Brian Keefe managed his minutes carefully on Wednesday, holding him to about 27 minutes, roughly what the team had planned for a first night back.
The Wizards are 2-3 after the loss, a modest start for a team that began last season 1-15. There was also a setback on the injury front on Wednesday, as forward Justin Champagnie had surgery on a fractured right foot.
Cleveland, meanwhile, continues to look like a team that knows how to win close games. Coach Kenny Atkinson admitted his side came out as if it was facing "the old Wizards" and could have been down 20, before his players tightened up and took the game over in the second half.
Debuts can mislead. Plenty of rookies have shone for one night and faded, and plenty of great players have stumbled at the first hurdle. What made Dybantsa's first night stand out was not just the scoring total but the variety of it. Allen, the veteran centre who fouled him on the opening possession, said afterwards that Dybantsa scored "from all three levels", the shorthand coaches use for a player who can finish at the rim, hit the mid-range and shoot from deep.
The composure stood out too. Davis, who scored 18 alongside the rookie, described Dybantsa as "calm, cool and collected". Keefe was even more direct. "I thought he was terrific," the Wizards coach said of the 27-minute outing.
The record-book details underline the point. Nine first-quarter points is the most by a Wizards rookie in a debut since at least 1996-97. Nineteen points overall is the most by a Wizards rookie in a debut since Tom Gugliotta scored 20 back in 1992. Those are not numbers handed out lightly, and they put Dybantsa's first night in genuine franchise company.
"I wanted my first basket to be a dunk so bad," Dybantsa said of his opening possession. "I was telling my dad that, but I mean it's cool, got fouled."
"I thought he was terrific," Wizards coach Brian Keefe said of the rookie's 27 minutes.
Anthony Davis, who had 18 points for Washington, said Dybantsa looked "calm, cool and collected" in his first NBA game.
Jarrett Allen, the Cleveland centre who fouled Dybantsa 16 seconds in, said the rookie scored "from all three levels".
Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson said his team came out as if it was facing "the old Wizards" and could have been down 20 before the second-half rally.
For Washington, this season is about finding out what it has. The Wizards have collected three No. 1 picks, but collections do not win games; players do. Dybantsa's debut suggests the latest addition can carry a scoring load against real NBA defences from day one, and that changes how opponents will prepare for Washington all season.
For the league, a new star turn is always good business. The NBA's early season has already produced big individual nights, from Stephen Curry's 44-point outburst against Minnesota to Cooper Flagg's 26-point night in Dallas's win over Oklahoma City. A No. 1 pick announcing himself with 19 points in a debut adds another name to that conversation, and the fact that Dybantsa did it on the road, in a hostile building, against a Cleveland team that refused to lose, makes it more convincing than a soft home debut would have been.
For Cleveland, the win matters in its own right. Coming back from 13 down, surviving a rookie's hot start and closing with a 9-0 run after trailing late is the kind of win that builds belief in a locker room. Mobley's career-high five three-pointers hint at an expanding game, and Watson's 22 points show the Cavaliers have scoring beyond their stars.
Washington returns home to host Charlotte on Friday, and the obvious question is whether Keefe loosens the minutes restriction on Dybantsa. Twenty-seven minutes was the plan for night one; if the ankle responds well, a bigger role could follow quickly. The Wizards will also be watching Champagnie's recovery after foot surgery, with the forward now facing a spell on the sidelines.
Cleveland moves on with its early-season rhythm intact, and the Cavaliers will want to avoid another slow start like the one Atkinson criticised. The lesson from Wednesday is clear enough: no lead is safe, and no opponent, even a rebuilding one with a teenage debutant, can be taken lightly.
Dybantsa himself will be judged over weeks, not one night. But first impressions count, and his was about as good as a debut gets: 19 points, efficient shooting, a road crowd quieted early, and veterans on both benches using the same word for what they saw.
Dybantsa scored 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting, with two rebounds, two assists and two turnovers in about 27 minutes against Cleveland.
He missed Washington's first four games with a sprained ankle before making his debut on Wednesday night in Cleveland.
Dybantsa's 19 points are the most by a Wizards rookie in a debut since Tom Gugliotta scored 20 in 1992, and the total ties for fourth in franchise history.
Cleveland won 121-111 after rallying from 13 points down, led by Evan Mobley's 24 points and a career-high five three-pointers.
Washington hosts Charlotte on Friday, when Dybantsa is expected to play his first home game as a professional.
Related coverage: Stephen Curry Drops 44 as Warriors Hold Off Timberwolves 119-114, Lakers Beat Clippers 103-87 Without Luka Doncic, Thunder Beat Suns 125-114 as Mitchell's Career-High 30 Keeps OKC Perfect.
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