AJ Dybantsa holds on to the No. 1 spot in On3's 2025 On3 150 ranking update
On3 released its most recent update of the 2025 On3 150 rankings on Monday, and AJ Dybantsa remains atop the list. Dybantsa re-classified into the 2025 class in October and he immediately settled into the No. 1 spot.
Dybantsa, a 6-foot-8 wing at Napa (CA) Prolific Prep, is one of ten five-star prospects in the 2025 class ranking update. He is one of seven Five-Star Plus+ prospects in the 2025 On3 Industry Ranking. The Five-Star Plus+ is an indicator that the player is rated as a five-star prospect across all four major recruiting websites.
The conversation around keeping Dybantsa at No. 1 for this update was not a very long one. Cameron Boozer remains the other player that is involved in the conversation, and his production and win totals continue to pile up.
Boozer, a 6-foot-9 power forward from Miami (FL) Columbus High, and the son of former NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer, won his third consecutive state championship this season. He was also the recipient of a gold medal with the USA Basketball Junior National Team and earned Gatorade National Player of the Year as a 15-year-old sophomore in the 2022-23 season.
Boozer and Dybantsa should continue to be a conversation as we continue to assess this class into its completion. Falling in line behind the top two are forward Caleb Wilson and No. 3, guard Darryn Peterson at No. 4, and forward Koa Peat at No. 5.
Our goal at On3 is to assess a prospect’s long-term potential, ultimately manifested by the NBA Draft. The goal of On3’s basketball ranking is not to assess who had the best high school career or who will be the best college player. This is why we shoot to end each class cycle having 14 five-star prospects, following the lead of the NBA Draft Lottery. Ideally, the vision is on draft night, the player we have at No. 1 has the highest odds of being the top overall pick.
Let’s discuss the thought process behind making AJ Dybantsa On3’s No. 1 player at this point in the 2025 cycle.
AJ Dybantsa has won, and produced at the highest levels
AJ Dybantsa burst onto the national scene early in his basketball career. Entering high school at Needham (MA) St. Sebastian’s, the Brockton, Massachusetts native was a known commodity. He earned Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year after his standout freshman season at St. Sebastian’s.
Dybantsa followed up his freshman season by playing with the USA Basketball U16 Junior National Team. The 6-foot-8 wing averaged 13.7 points while shooting 61.7 percent from the field and dishing out 3.8 assists en route to a gold medal. His USA team went 7-0 throughout the FIBA U16 Americas Championships.
He came back from Yucatan, Mexico, and went straight to Nike’s Peach Jam. Dybantsa led the 17u division in scoring, putting up 25.8 points, more than 4.0 points higher than the player at No. 2.
Dybantsa transferred to Napa (CA) Prolific Prep this season, which won the Grind Session championship and ranked top five by MaxPreps Prep School, leading to a birth in the Chipotle Championships (formerly Geico Championships). Dybantsa was the MVP of the Grind Session this season.
The production is there, consistently performing at the highest levels among his peers.
AJ Dybantsa’s Player Archetype
Typically I would break up a player’s frame and their skill set. However, with AJ Dybantsa, the two play off of one another to lead to a major reason why his upside is so high.
Dybantsa carries a 6-foot-8, pushing a 6-foot-9 frame. He is lengthy and he is fluid with explosive pop. There is a lot of projectability as he continues to move levels forward, get into more advanced weight training and nutrition programs, and fill out his now teenage body.
With the frame he has natural fluidity, that allows him to change direction with ease. He has good athleticism that helps him get to his spots and he has great length that helps him shoot and finish over many players at his position.
With his frame and positional size, he has the skill set that makes him a prospect of his caliber. Dybantsa has a soft shooting touch with a consistent release. As he continues to get stronger in his base and his core, his balance will continue to get better which will help with his ability to knock down shots off the bounce and off movement.
He is already adept in the mid-range, showing good footwork and an understanding of how to get to his spots efficiently. The added strength previously mentioned will help him to absorb contact in traffic. He will be able to be more effective with aggressive defenders attempting to body him, and also when attacking the basket, trying to finish above the rim. He is continuing to work on shot selection.
While he does not have a breakdown type of handle, Dybantsa is able to put the ball on the floor for two or three dribbles to get to his spots. His size, length, and footwork allow him to elevate quickly above his defenders and score at each level.
Dybantsa’s scoring package is advanced for a high school junior. And when you add in the touch and tools, along with the frame and athleticism, you see the upside that he has to continue growing into.
Dybantsa’s long-term player archetype
It is no secret that the successful players at the highest levels of basketball are unique. While there are always outliers, many of them have similar characteristics across different positions. Positional size is valued, so is skill, and athleticism.
The unique nature of players comes when you can take those three things, sprinkle in some time and experience with hard work and you come out with a player who can find success at the highest levels.
While every player’s developmental patterns are different, there are certain indicators that you look for as players continue to age and move up in levels. The younger a player is, the further away they are from reaching their athletic prime, giving more possible variance along the way.
AJ Dybantsa, as a junior in high school, checks the positional size box and a lengthy 6-foot-8 wing. He also has the athleticism both laterally and vertically. The skill he has is being tightened, but the shooting touch is natural, and so is his ability to create an offensive advantage for himself with the ball.
Questions come with his strength and continuing to process the game with his shot selection and his reads. A lot of that will come with experience and continued work on the finer aspects of his offensive repertoire, working of angles, reading second and third defenders, and footwork.
Dybantsa’s natural tools are advanced among his peers. He also has the hardware and production that pairs nicely with the continued room for growth and upside, both physically and in his game. He is someone who entered high school with a name, and he has continued to improve each step of the way.
Looking across today’s basketball landscape, at the highest levels you can see the value being placed on wings. Ten of the 20 highest-paid players in the NBA are considered wings. There are different player archetypes and skill sets that come within the overall spectrum of wings. AJ Dybantsa still has necessary development and growth in front of him, many of his potential archetype outcomes fit with the direction basketball is continuing to head at its highest levels.