Anthony Davis doesn’t have to reach far to recognize the pressure AJ Dybantsa is carrying.
A year ago, Davis was settling into a very different version of life with the Dallas Mavericks, arriving for his first NBA Media Day photo shoot with Kyrie Irving and rookie Cooper Flagg. That setup looked built to roll forward for Dallas, with Flagg eventually taking Rookie of the Year honors while Irving watched from the sideline because of injury.
Davis never got to stay in that picture for long. Before that season ended, he was traded again, this time to the Washington Wizards.
Now he’s seeing the same kind of spotlight all over again.
This time, Davis is in Washington alongside Deandre Ayton and Dybantsa, the No. 1 overall pick who is already drawing the kind of attention that comes with being a headline name. Davis has spent part of the offseason around Dybantsa, and he says the rookie carries the same traits that tend to separate the special prospects from everyone else.
"I think the ones that are special, like Coop and obviously AJ, they want to learn. They want to get better.
They ask questions, the right questions," he told On SI. "He's going to have a target on his back.
Everyone's going to want to come after him, same thing with Coop last year. He's ready for it."
Davis knows exactly what that looks like. Back in 2012, he entered the league as a franchise centerpiece himself and went on to lose that season’s Rookie of the Year race to Damian Lillard, even after a strong defensive debut with the then-New Orleans Hornets. He also played a major role in helping lift that post-Chris Paul version of the franchise, and there’s a belief that Dybantsa could end up carrying a similar burden for Washington.
The Wizards are built with plenty around him, too. They have a half-dozen other recent first-round picks, plus veterans to help lead the way and fill out the rotation. In Davis’ view, Dybantsa has the kind of toolkit that should let him find success quickly.
"He's ready for it," Davis analyzed. "He's got all the tools to be successful in this league.
Can defend, can make any shot. You guys will be able to see.
I mean, you've seen a bit of it in Summer League and throughout his tenure in college. AJ has his style, and he wants it.
He works very hard. He listens.
He's dedicated."
Davis also made it clear he’s available if Dybantsa needs him, even if the plan is mostly to let the rookie work through things on his own. That makes sense given the different shape of this situation.
Dybantsa won’t be walking into a clean runway like Flagg did in Dallas. He’ll be sharing the floor with more established professional ball-handlers and scorers right away, which means the path to making an impact may look different.
Still, Davis brings something the Wizards can use: real experience as a high-pressure draft prize, plus the perspective that comes from having lived through it long enough to help the next wave.
For a player with Dybantsa’s profile, that kind of support system may already be in place.
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