The NBA Summer League got rolling on July 3, and while the Wizards don’t open their run until the 9th, the early action has already given fans a look at some of the young names drafted just after AJ Dybantsa.
The loudest statement so far has come from Darryn Peterson.
The No. 2 overall pick out of Kansas has wasted no time taking over Summer League. After opening with 28 points in his debut, the Utah Jazz guard followed that up Monday night against Cameron Boozer and the Memphis Grizzlies with 25 points and 12 assists, flashing the kind of playmaking that wasn’t as visible during his time at Kansas.
Through two games, Peterson has looked every bit like the generational guard prospect scouts and fans have been buzzing about since high school.
That kind of start has naturally sparked the question some Wizards fans are already asking: did Washington miss on the No. 1 pick?
The answer, at least for now, is no.
What the Wizards need with Dybantsa is patience. Plenty of it. That’s easier said than done for a fan base that has been through a rough stretch, but the 19-year-old top pick doesn’t need to light up Vegas immediately for his future to mean what it should.
He’ll get his first chance to make that first impression against Peterson and the Jazz, and there’s no doubt he’ll want to make his mark right away. But if the fireworks aren’t instant, that doesn’t tell you much.
The source of that caution is simple: early Summer League struggles don’t define a player. Victor Wembanyama opened his first summer league game with 9 points on 2/13 shooting.
Cooper Flagg’s first game brought 10 points on 5/21 shooting. Neither line tells the full story.
And for Wizards fans, that patience matters even more because of everything that came before Dybantsa. The franchise has lived through misses like Jan Vesely, taken over Kawhi Leonard and Klay Thompson in 2011, and plenty of other disappointment besides. That history is real, but it shouldn’t be placed on Dybantsa’s back.
If he isn’t a superstar on day one, that doesn’t make him a disappointment. His Summer League showing won’t decide who he is as a player, and Washington should let him develop without dragging the baggage of the past along with him.
If the matchup in Las Vegas turns into a head-to-head showcase, fine - let it be one. Just don’t let one summer week rewrite the bigger picture.
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