The Washington Wizards get a different kind of spotlight Friday night when AJ Dybantsa makes his home debut against the Charlotte Hornets in NBA Cup Group Play.
Washington comes back home after a three-game road trip that ended with back-to-back losses. The Wizards dropped a 110-103 game in Charlotte before falling 121-111 in Cleveland to finish the swing.
Charlotte arrives off a 97-89 loss in Detroit on Wednesday, ending the Hornets’ two-game win streak. Even so, the Hornets have had Washington’s number lately, winning five straight meetings.
Dybantsa is the player to watch with the first home crowd of his NBA career waiting for him. The first overall pick scored 19 points on 8 of 12 shooting, including 1 of 3 from deep, while also adding two assists and two rebounds in Wednesday’s game in Cleveland. He missed the first four games of the season after a left ankle sprain in the preseason finale.
The Wizards are 2-3 overall, and one of those wins came in their home opener. There should be some of that same energy around Dybantsa on Friday night.
As for the matchup itself, the total looks more appealing than the side. Charlotte has gone UNDER in all five of its games this season, and Washington has hit the UNDER in three of five, including each of its last two. These teams combined for only 213 points earlier this week when the total was 226.5.
I’m expecting another lower-scoring matchup tonight.
In Other News...
Anthony Davis Is Forcing A Much Bigger Wizards Decision
Anthony Davis has already given the Wizards plenty to think about, and not just because of the way he has fit on the floor. Since arriving from Dallas in a trade that cost Washington multiple draft picks, he has been steady and productive, averaging 22.3 points and 9.2 rebounds in his first six games with the team. For a franchise trying to build something more stable, that kind of early return has a way of changing the conversation fast.
The bigger question now is whether Washington wants to move quickly on a contract extension while Davis is still in the final guaranteed year of his deal, with a player option for the following season. The Wizards are weighing that decision against the reality that his presence has already raised the floor of the roster, and the longer he keeps producing like this, the more pressure there will be to make a long-term commitment. [Read more 🡒]
AJ Dybantsa Just Gave The Wizards A New Early Season Question
The Wizards have opened the year with a split in their first two home games, and even with the usual early-season rough edges there has been a reason for optimism. Rookie AJ Dybantsa, the No. 1 pick in the recent draft, has looked like part of the answer right away, averaging 18 points through two contests while giving Washington a boost in transition and on the glass.
What makes his early impact especially interesting is how it fits into the broader shape of this roster. Brian Keefe has already pointed out the teams low volume of three-point attempts compared with opponents, and Washington has leaned into what it does best by finishing at the rim and getting to the line. Dybantsas presence only sharpens the question of how much more dangerous the Wizards can become if that interior pressure keeps building. [Read more 🡒]
Wizards Need More Than AJ Dybantsa Momentum In NBA Cup Debut
AJ Dybantsa gave Washington a needed jolt in his NBA debut, and the rookies 19 points on efficient shooting offered a glimpse of the energy this roster has been searching for. But the Wizards are still sitting at 2-3 after back-to-back losses to Charlotte and Cleveland, and the bigger issue remains the same: they are not consistently winning the possession battle, especially on the glass, where the frontcourt has been stretched thin.
The timing makes the problem even harder to ignore with Justin Champagnie out after a foot fracture, leaving Washington with fewer answers in the rotation and less margin for error inside. The Wizards have shown they can get a spark from young talent, but until they find a way to rebound and hold up defensively against bigger scoring nights from opponents, the early momentum around Dybantsa will only tell part of the story. [Read more 🡒]