Evaluating Freshman Impact: BYU's AJ Dybantsa

BYU’s AJ Dybantsa has been the top recruit in the country for some time, specifically since reclassifying almost two years ago to the latest cycle in 2025. Now, those in Provo, as well as franchises around the NBA, should be very excited to have or have a chance at Dybantsa.

On3 Insider Jamie Shaw broke Dybantsa down, as well as several of the other top incoming freshman around college basketball, in a conversation last week with On3’s James Fletcher. That started with a size and scoring ability, among other traits, that’s unlike many.

“With Dybantsa, he’s just got a ton of different pathways, that are insanely valuable, that he can go down at the highest levels,” said Shaw. “Six-foot-nine? I mean, you stand beside him and you’re almost taken aback with how big he actually is when you stand beside him. He’s got the physical makeup, the length, the athletic pop, the fluidity. He can open his hips and slide. He’s got the quick burst coming out of a standstill. And he’s got touch, he can self create.

“When it comes to Dybantsa? Like, he has gone through a different pathway of offensive game. Elbows, like I said with Jayson Tatum back when he was at Chaminade? AJ Dybantsa in eighth, ninth grade was advances with his footwork. He was able to jab step, jab step, get a shot, get a clean look within a phone booth early on. Then, as he continued to grow? You know, you look kind of toward his, I guess he reclassed so toward his last two years of high school. He was so much more aggressive in getting downhill – one move, rip through, get downhill, finish at the basket. And then you watch him kind of in the USA Basketball settings, you watch him, you know, when the cream of the crop is on the floor, he rises.”

Dybantsa, a Brockton, Massachusetts native, finished his high school career at Utah Prep after also playing at Prolific Prep and at Saint Sebastian’s School. He finished at No. 1 overall, at small forward, and in his state as a Five-Star+ prospect in the Rivals Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies, and the On3 Ranking for 2025, making him the highest-rated commitment in the history of Brigham Young. Also on his resumé is being a McDonald’s All-American, a participant in the Jordan Brand Classic, and, as of this weekend, the Most Valuable Player of the FIBA U19 World Cup in leading Team USA to a gold medal in Switzerland with averages of 14.3 points (50% FG), 2.3 assists, and 1.1 steals.

Again, there’s little doubt at this point about Dybantsa. That applies to his evaluation as an eventual pro as well with Shaw and Fletcher seeing many ways in which he could one day be successful in the NBA.

“Obviously, as you know, the value in the NBA comes from the wing positions, the forward players. They’re the ones that do a lot of the self-creation. They’re the ones that, you know, cause a lot of havoc on the defensive end. They’re the ones that make the shots and get paid the most money,” said Shaw. “There’s different types of pathways that you can go down from the four position. You can go the 3-and-D. You can go the self-creator. You can go the two-way superstar. There’s a bunch of different pathways you can have in that 6’7 to 6’9 range as a wing. AJ Dybantsa is open to all of them. So, it’s just a matter, kind of, of which pathway he goes down.”

“With Dybantsa, you talk about how valuable that is to have multiple pathways that you can go down. And we’ve seen how valuable that 3-and-D is. I mean, just look at free agency in the NBA, look at the NBA Draft. How many guys moved up from where we had them projected who were in that 3-and-D mold. It’s extremely valuable” Fletcher added. “You talk about the two-way superstar, all these upper-end results that he has well within his reach? There’s so much more that you can get out of Dybantsa when you hit those top-end outcomes.”

With that, Shaw and Fletcher don’t just both think that Dybantsa will be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Shaw thought, compared to his peers and this past draft class as well, that he could have been in contention to be the No. 1 pick in 2025 over Duke’s Cooper Flagg.

“I think Dybantsa had a chance to have gone number one had he been in the 2025 class,” Shaw stated. “Dybantsa is probably in a tier by himself right now as we speak. Now, obviously, there’s 12 months to go (before the 2026 NBA Draft).”

Still, Dybantsa won’t have to wait more than that span to be one of the first names off the board, if not the first overall, in the NBA Draft. That gives him a year to make the most of as one of the best players, let alone freshman, in the country will be playing next season for a top team at BYU.

“There’s a lot of value when it comes to AJ Dybantsa and there’s a lot of potential pathways that he can go down that have value,” said Shaw.