Washington fans may have to adjust their Rookie of the Year expectations for AJ Dybantsa. The No. 1 pick in June’s draft is central to the Wizards’ push to become a more competitive team, but he’s not sitting at the top of the award race.
Dybantsa is teaming with Trae Young, Anthony Davis and more as Washington tries to climb back into relevance in the East after several rough seasons. Even with that kind of spotlight, the betting market doesn’t view him as the clear favorite to take home Rookie of the Year.
On DraftKings sportsbook, as reported by NBC Sports, Dybantsa has the fourth-best odds in the field. He trails Cameron Boozer, Caleb Wilson and Darryn Peterson. The favorite changes depending on the sportsbook - BetMGM lists Wilson first - but across the board, Dybantsa is generally slotted fourth.
There’s a straightforward reason for that. Washington has built enough offensive depth that Dybantsa may not be asked to carry a huge volume right away. With Young running the backcourt and plenty of options around him, the Wizards seem content not to overload their top pick.
That situation stands in contrast to some of the other top rookies. The Jazz are expected to give Peterson a major role as they try to make a similar leap with the talent around him, while the Bulls and Grizzlies appear ready to hand Wilson and Boozer heavy usage from day one.
For Wizards fans, a Rookie of the Year trophy would be a nice bonus. But if a more balanced attack and better team play come first, and another rookie ends up with the award, Washington would probably take that trade.
As for the franchise’s history with the award, no Wizards player has won Rookie of the Year since 1969, when the team was still the Baltimore Bullets. Wes Unseld earned the honor that year and launched a Hall of Fame career.
John Wall also had a shot at the award, but Blake Griffin’s candidacy changed the race. Griffin, the No. 1 pick from the previous year, missed the 2009-10 season because of injury and made his debut at the same time as Wall.
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