NBA schedule release day always gives Celtics fans something to circle, and this year one matchup stands out above the rest: AJ Dybantsa is headed to TD Garden.
The Brockton, Massachusetts native and No. 1 overall pick will make his first trip onto the Garden parquet as a pro on Dec. 14, 2026, when the Washington Wizards visit Boston. Dybantsa has already made it clear he’s no longer a Celtics fan, which only adds a little extra juice to a game that will have plenty of local interest anyway.
For a long stretch, Washington has barely registered on the Celtics’ radar as a meaningful opponent. Boston has beaten the Wizards 11 straight times, with the last loss coming on March 28, 2023 - Kristaps Porzingis’s Celtics audition game. But this could be the first time in the 2020s that the Wizards show up as more than just another likely win on the schedule.
That’s the AJ factor.
There’s always a little extra buzz when a major New England hoops prospect gets his first crack at the Celtics. The region doesn’t produce players like this all that often, and when it does, the Garden tends to feel it.
The last two No. 1 picks, Dybantsa and Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg, both grew up rooting for Boston. Flagg’s debut in the building came with its own charge, even if it was overshadowed by Jayson Tatum’s return from the torn Achilles he suffered during the 2025 NBA playoffs.
You’d expect Dybantsa’s night to come with a similar buzz.
And there’s another wrinkle here: Washington might actually be interesting. The Wizards have been buried near the bottom in recent seasons, but the additions of former All-Stars Trae Young and Anthony Davis at least give them some real intrigue if both stay healthy and find chemistry together.
Between Young and Davis, plus the young core of Dybantsa, Alex Sarr, Tre Johnson, and Kyshawn George, Washington suddenly has a group that could push for a Play-In Tournament spot and maybe even the playoffs next spring.
At the very least, the Wizards will get their chance to try to snap a three-year losing streak against Boston when Dybantsa walks into the Garden.
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