The intro to the AJ Dybantsa show with the Washington Wizards went about as well as it could have; the only thing missing was the win. In his first game action of the regular season, coming off a sprained ankle against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Dybantsa showed minimal signs of rust.
In 28 minutes, he finished with 19 points on 8-for-12 shooting, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists, previewing what Washington knew they were getting when they drafted him first overall. Despite good games from Dybantsa and a lot of the starters, the Wizards still couldn't find their way into the win column, dropping to 2-3 on the young season.
The starters were solid, but some themes recur. The bench just wasn't good enough. Bilal Coulibaly and Deandre Ayton were solid, but the two others off the bench provided next to nothing. Five games into the season, and Brian Keefe is still searching for answers when it comes to the consistency of the reserves.
Bub Carrington and Khris Middleton no-showed against Cleveland
Every game, it's like some bench players show up, and some don't. In this game, Coulibaly finally had a pulse on offense following his shift back to the bench, finishing with 17 points on 8-for-9 shooting. However, Khris Middleton and Bub Carrington combined for 7 points on 1-for-6 shooting.
Middleton, so far this season, has yet to get going, and it's starting to look like giving his minutes entirely to someone like Will Riley would benefit the team more. With Carrington, it's been the same story for his entire career now.
When the three-point shot is on target, he's an extremely valuable player to add to the rotation, but if he's not hitting them, he doesn't provide any other elite skills. His inside-the-arc finishing has always been a weakness, and he's not the level of defender to cover up for a super off night, shooting-wise. It wouldn't hurt the Wizards to experiment with playing Tre Mann if Carrington's struggles persist.
Nevertheless, Dybantsa looked like a future star
He showed all of the tools, and the Wizards absolutely look like they made the right pick this past draft. His gravity on offense was noticeable early, and despite it being his first game, the Cavaliers' defense was extremely keyed in on him, freeing up the rest of the team for more open looks.
He showcased some of his three-level scoring chops and even swished a three, which was a point of improvement for him coming into the league. The Wizards desperately needed more easy offense out of their lineup, and Dybantsa provides someone who can get to the rim and draw fouls or score at the rim at will.
The Cavaliers have a lot of good interior defenders, and Dybantsa making his scoring look effortless during his debut is a great sign of things to come.
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