The Wizards’ new era has already generated plenty of buzz in Washington, but fans hoping to catch AJ Dybantsa’s NBA debut will have to wait a little longer.
Ahead of Saturday’s matchup with the Bulls, Washington ruled out the No. 1 pick once again because of the left ankle sprain that has kept him sidelined since the preseason. It’s the third straight game Dybantsa has missed, delaying the first look at the 19-year-old who arrives in the league with a big reputation and even bigger expectations.
Dybantsa was injured in the Wizards’ final preseason game when he rolled his ankle on a jump shot attempt against the Pelicans. Head coach Brian Keefe said earlier this week that the rookie was considered day-to-day, which gave Washington fans reason to believe his debut might be close.
That optimism has only grown as the Wizards have shown signs of being more competitive than they have been in recent years. With Trae Young, Anthony Davis, Kyshawn George, Alex Sarr and Dybantsa on the roster, Washington has become one of the more interesting teams to watch in the early going.
The latest injury report also listed Tristan Vukčević as out with a left hip impingement and Jamir Watkins as out with left ACL repair/surgery.
Washington opened the season with a win over the Bucks before falling by 10 points to the Raptors on Friday, and while the result against Toronto brought the group back to earth a bit, the wait for Dybantsa’s first appearance continues. For Wizards fans, it’s still coming - just not yet.
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Brian Keefe Already Faces One Wizards Problem He Cant Ignore
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Keefe has options to tinker with, especially as the roster waits for AJ Dybantsa to get back into the mix. The question now is how aggressively he wants to reshuffle the offense to help the Wizards shoot better and score more consistently, because the current setup is already leaving too much burden on too few capable shooters. [Read more 🡒]