This draft class has the potential to be one of the league's best. The entire lottery was chock-full of talent, and the top four all have the makings of potential franchise-changing superstars. The Rookie of the Year race is going to be a fun one to keep tabs on this season.
Despite being the first overall pick, I wouldn't be surprised if AJ Dybantsa is the lowest out of the top four on the Rookie of the Year ladder, but that has nothing to do with his skill set and potential and everything to do with his situation.
The Wizards simply have more talent than the other top picks' teams
When looking at the other teams that had a top pick - the Utah Jazz, Memphis Grizzlies, and Chicago Bulls, you see some fun young teams, but none of them have established superstars on the roster (unless you count Utahs best players as stars).
The Washington Wizards have Dybantsa surrounded by talent in his rookie season. Anthony Davis is still an All-NBA-caliber player despite the injury concerns, and Trae Young is still an All-Star-level point guard despite one down season last year. Those two are automatically the first and second options on the Wizards, with Dybantsa likely slotting in as the third option behind them.
Looking at the other teams, who is Cam Boozer competing with for shots in Memphis? On day one, he's likely the number one option on that team. The Bulls have some good players, but they don't have any proven All-Star talent, meaning they'll likely prioritize Caleb Wilson a ton this season as they look to shift their franchise to be built around him.
Darryn Peterson on Utah is a little trickier. The Jazz have some star-level talent in Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Keyonte George, but Jackson and Markkanen do most of their damage off-ball. Peterson is still going to get a ton of on-ball reps early on.
This will be better long-term for Dybantsas development
Not winning the Rookie of the Year could be disappointing initially, but Dybantsa is instantly in a winning situation, on a team with real playoff expectations. That's rare for a first pick in his rookie season. He'll get to build winning habits early on while being able to learn how to play in various roles.
The other guys aren't being set up for failure by any means, but being a top option as a rookie on a team that isn't winning a lot of games can lead to some bad habits being built up. Fortunately for Dybantsa, that won't be the case for him.
He's still a budding superstar, and that hasn't changed; the Wizards are going to be his team sooner rather than later. But for now, he can build winning habits in a system with structure, surrounded by veterans who can support him.
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