The Washington Wizards are rolling through Summer League at 2-0, but their biggest names won’t be part of the rest of the run in Las Vegas.
AJ Dybantsa, Tre Johnson and Will Riley have all been shut down for Washington’s final three NBA Summer League games, Wizards summer-league coach T.J. Sorrentine told The Athletic, according to Josh Robbins. That means Dybantsa’s stint in Vegas is over after two strong showings, and the Wizards will move forward without three of the players who have drawn the most attention this month.
Dybantsa opened with a loud performance in Thursday’s 92-88 win over the Utah Jazz, putting up a game-high 27 points on 7-18 shooting and adding seven rebounds, two assists, one turnover and three stocks in 26 minutes. He also got the better of No. 2 pick Darryn Peterson, who finished with 24 points, three rebounds, three assists, eight turnovers and one block in 30 minutes. It was Dybantsa’s first win over Peterson after Peterson beat him twice in high school and once in college.
Johnson was right there with him on Thursday, scoring 26 points on 11-20 shooting with two rebounds, one assist, four turnovers and one steal in 28 minutes. The 2025 No. 6 overall pick sat out Sunday’s game, but he still reminded everyone why his scoring was such a big part of his profile after a 60-game rookie season.
Riley also made his mark in the opener, finishing with 18 points on 5-12 shooting, three rebounds, two assists and three turnovers in 29 minutes. He spent most of the night in the background behind Dybantsa and Johnson, then helped seal the win with an and-one layup in the final minute.
Sunday’s 104-85 win over the Sacramento Kings gave the Wizards another look at Dybantsa and Riley, and both delivered again. Dybantsa scored 23 points on 6-15 shooting, grabbed seven rebounds, handed out two assists, piled up five stocks and committed three turnovers in 24 minutes. He started with an off-dribble three in transition after missing all of his threes on Thursday, but most of his damage still came inside the arc.
Riley, meanwhile, turned in the best shooting night of the group. He posted 32 points on 9-14 shooting, hit 6-8 from three, added six rebounds, three assists and two turnovers in 29 minutes, and scored 25 of those points after halftime. That kind of perimeter output stood out, especially compared with last season, when he made 31.6% of his three-pointers on 3.3 attempts per game.
Washington’s next Summer League game comes Tuesday at 8:00 p.m. ET against the Chicago Bulls in Las Vegas, with Amazon Prime Video carrying the broadcast. Jamir Watkins will also miss his second straight game after Robbins reported that he held Peterson to 4-11 shooting, including 1-5 from three, with six turnovers on Thursday.
There’s no reason for the Wizards to push Dybantsa, Johnson or Riley any further in exhibition play, especially after each of them flashed the traits that made them worth watching in the first place. Dybantsa was a force at the rim and got to the line, while also showing more defensive activity than he did at BYU, where he averaged 1.4 stocks per game as a freshman. If that side of his game keeps trending up, it would line up with what he said before the draft about cleaning up his “lazy” defense.
Johnson showed he can score in more ways than just from outside. He was viewed as more of a three-point shooter when he was drafted, and last season he took half of his 10.8 field goal attempts per game from deep. If he keeps pressuring the rim and finding his midrange spots, his shot diet could tilt a little more toward twos.
Riley’s two games also hinted at a broader role. He shot better from deep, handled more on-ball reps and could end up as a bench facilitator for Washington next season, which would be a shift from the off-ball wing role he played as a rookie.
The Wizards still have more Summer League basketball ahead, and the shutdown of their top names opens the door for others to make a case. Reece Beekman, Kadary Richmond, Seth Trimble and Felix Okpara should all see more opportunity, with Okpara already on a two-way deal after Washington traded up for him in the second round this year.
The final two-way spot remains in play, and JuJu Reese appears to be the most vulnerable of that group. He’s averaging five points on 50% shooting with 4.5 rebounds in 15 minutes per game this summer. Beekman is averaging 23.8 minutes, Trimble 15.9 and Richmond 10.7, while Watkins already has one of the two-way slots.
After Tuesday’s matchup with Chicago, Washington will play the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday before a playoff or consolation game that has not yet been scheduled.
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