LAS VEGAS - The first NBA meeting between AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson lived up to the billing before either player has even taken a real regular-season step. The two headliners of the 2026 NBA draft class were bound to be linked for a long time, and Thursday night’s Summer League matchup gave that comparison an immediate stage.
Dybantsa came out on top.
In front of a Las Vegas crowd that reacted to nearly every touch, the Wizards’ top pick outplayed Peterson and made a loud first impression in his NBA debut. It was Dybantsa’s first competitive game since his record-setting BYU run ended with a first-round NCAA tournament loss to Texas, and he looked ready from the jump.
He scored 27 points in 26 minutes, got to the line repeatedly and powered his way to the rim throughout the night. A few jumpers were off, but the overall package was hard to miss.
Peterson still had his moments, finishing with 24 points in his Las Vegas debut after dominating the Salt Lake City Summer League last week. The scoring touch was there, but so were the rough edges.
He missed free throws and layups, and Washington’s pressure clearly bothered him. The Wizards often had Jamir Watkins picking him up before half court, and Peterson’s final line - three assists and eight turnovers - showed how much trouble that created.
“They’re two of the best young players on the planet,” Jazz Summer League head coach Steve Wojciechowski said afterward. “Both kids handled the fire exceptionally well.”
The game also offered a few near-miss highlights that had the building leaning forward without quite tipping over. Dybantsa lost control of what should have been a breakaway dunk.
Peterson chose a soft finish on his only wide-open transition chance. Both players shook defenders badly enough to draw a roar, then missed the open three that could have turned the moment into something bigger.
Late in the second quarter, the crowd rose when Peterson was matched with Dybantsa in isolation, but Dybantsa missed the pull-up two after creating space off the dribble.
Even without the one play everyone will replay, Dybantsa’s scoring burst stood out in a way that has not always happened in these summer debuts. Cooper Flagg had 10 points in his first Summer League game last year.
Victor Wembanyama shot 2 of 13 and scored nine points in his first action with the Spurs two years earlier. Dybantsa’s 27 points tied a Summer League record for a No. 1 pick’s debut, matching Blake Griffin.
Dybantsa, wearing huge diamond studs and a baseball cap with his new Nike star logo, still called the performance “solid.” He said too many clean looks slipped away.
He also finished the game on the bench, with Wizards coach T.J. Sorrentine saying the decision was tied to general soreness from the recent layoff.
That opened the door for Utah, which had trailed almost the entire way, but 2025 first-rounder Will Riley closed it out with a three-point play in the final minute.
Peterson tried to keep the matchup from becoming bigger than it was, saying he “looks forward to every game we play” and not adding much more to the head-to-head angle. After his Salt Lake City showing, though, Peterson had already noted that No. 3 pick Cameron Boozer “probably had an agenda” in wanting to prove people wrong. He would have liked the same kind of statement night he has delivered against Dybantsa before.
There was still plenty for Utah fans to like. Peterson’s 25 points and 12 assists against Boozer last week pointed to the long-term upside of his pairing with Keyonte George, who has been deeply involved with the Jazz Summer League group and even tried to get the NBA to let him serve as an assistant coach for Thursday’s game before being turned down. Peterson called George his “vet,” and said he looks to the 22-year-old as a guide early in his career.
For now, though, the first scoreboard between the two newest stars goes to Dybantsa. He gave a glimpse of why scouts think he could one day lead the NBA in scoring, and he did it in a debut that felt like the start of something bigger.
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