AJ Dybantsa has already given the Wizards something they badly needed: a jolt in transition.
Two games into his NBA career, the first overall pick turned a preseason possession against the Detroit Pistons into a snapshot of what Washington hopes he can become. He took off in the open floor, crossed over Duncan Robinson with a single dribble, then finished through Javonte Green for a 3-point play. It was the kind of burst that grabs attention fast, but it was hardly the only sign this preseason that Dybantsa can change the way the Wizards run.
Washington was one of the league’s weakest transition teams a year ago, finishing 19th in transition points per game while shooting a league-worst 48% in those situations. Dybantsa has already shown a clear appetite for speeding the game up, and that matters for a roster that has also added two of the game’s best scorers this winter in Anthony Davis and Trae Young. More possessions at a better pace can pay off at both ends, giving the Wizards extra chances to score while helping their defense by reducing the number of trips they have to survive.
What stands out with Dybantsa is the mix. The eye-popping speed and power are obvious, but so is the feel.
Against the Knicks and Pistons, he repeatedly made the extra outlet pass when the better play was to get the ball moving. One sequence featured a bounce pass to a streaking Bilal Coulibaly in the second quarter against the Knicks.
In another, Dybantsa drew enough attention in transition to finish an alley-oop to Anthony Davis.
That sort of decision-making is a good sign for a rookie operating in a hurry. It suggests he’s not just trying to make highlight plays; he’s reading the floor and giving Washington a chance to get the right shot. If he keeps developing there, he could help unlock the team’s young scorers in a major way.
At the same time, Dybantsa’s own scoring in the open floor has been just as important. He has already shown that he can blow by defenders, then finish through contact at the rim. That ability to both create and convert in transition gives Washington a different kind of weapon, one that could stress even the league’s best defenses.
There’s also a practical side to all of this. The Wizards’ biggest issues last season were not limited to transition offense, and the defensive struggles that could linger this year are only complicated by Young’s arrival.
But Dybantsa has helped bring a steadier hand to Washington’s offense, and he has done it with relatively few turnovers as he pushes the ball. The Wizards ranked 27th in the league in turnovers per game at 15.6 last season, so a more dependable ball-handler can help clean things up.
Washington may still have defensive problems. That part of the equation hasn’t gone away. But if Dybantsa keeps turning open-floor chances into efficient possessions, he could give this team a much higher ceiling than it had a year ago.
In Other News...
Wizards May Be Building An Identity That Actually Matters
The preseason home opener gave the Wizards a useful first look at how Brian Keefe wants this group to function, and there were encouraging signs all over the floor against Detroit. New veterans and young players both fit into the action, and the offense showed more structure than this roster has often had in recent seasons. The defense was not spotless, but the energy and connectivity were enough to make the night feel like more than a routine exhibition tune-up.
Trae Young helped set that tone early with a flurry of playmaking, while the group still dealt with some turnover issues and the occasional defensive breakdown. Even so, the broader takeaway was harder to miss than the mistakes: Washington looked like a team trying to build habits, not just survive the preseason. For a franchise that has spent plenty of time searching for an identity, that alone makes the next few weeks worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
Wizards Showed The Edge Fans Have Been Waiting To See
A preseason game at Capital One Arena took on a sharper edge than most exhibitions, with the Detroit Pistons and Wizards trading baskets in a physical, competitive first half. Even with roster changes on both sides, the game had a little more bite than the usual October tune-up, and several players from each team found the scoreboard in double figures as the pace stayed lively.
The most memorable moment came when tempers flared and bodies got tangled in an altercation that fit the tone of the night. For Washington, that kind of edge is part of what fans have been waiting to see, even if the full picture of how far that toughness can carry this group still has to unfold. [Read more 🡒]
Wizards Young Core Just Made The Roster Picture A Lot Tougher
The preseason keeps giving Washington a better look at its young core, and Saturdays visit to Detroit was another reminder that the rotation picture is getting crowded fast. In a game that went beyond regulation, the Wizards found more encouraging minutes from AJ Dybantsa, Justin Champagnie and Will Riley, the kind of performances that tend to matter most this time of year because they can change how a staff sorts out the back end of the roster.
There were also some rough edges worth filing away. Bub Carrington was uneven, and Bilal Coulibaly still needs to play with more aggression if he wants to turn promising stretches into something more dependable. For a team trying to sort out who fits where, the challenge is no longer just finding young talent. It is deciding which young players have done enough to keep forcing the issue. [Read more 🡒]