AJ Dybantsa has played two games for the Washington Wizards up to this point, and it's safe to say that he's already proven that he'll be the face of the franchise for the next decade.
The reigning No. 1 overall pick is expected to be the centerpiece of the team's future, but unlike several other incoming rookies, Dybantsa won't have to wait long to find out who his future co-star is.
Obviously, Washington's roster is loaded with an abundance of talented players, including multiple lottery picks from the last few years who fill out the revamped depth chart for Will Dawkins.
All-Star guard Trae Young and future Hall of Famer Anthony Davis are the most obvious candidates to be the immediate co-stars for Dybantsa, but long-term, there's a list of players on the roster who could be the ideal running mate to the versatile forward.
Almost immediately, names like Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, or Tre Johnson come to mind. However, there's one player in particular who's continuously making it hard to ignore their game.
Will Riley is AJ Dybantsa's co-star of the future
Will Riley turned heads throughout the entirety of his rookie year, but what the Illinois product showed down the stretch of his first-year campaign was extended playing time.
Over the final month of regular-season play, the former first-round pick averaged 18.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.6 assists on 43.5% from the field and 23.8% from three.
Riley flashed his crafty offensive game, proving his ability to score with efficiency, but it wasn't just the scoring upside that opened eyes, but his ability to also serve as a reliable playmaker that Brian Keefe could run his offense through.
On Sunday, the oversized guard continued to raise expectations, posting 32 points, six rebounds, and three assists on 9-for-14 shooting from the field and 6-for-8 from three.
If he's able to improve his efficiency from three, his ceiling is arguably higher than any other player currently on the roster, considering the flashes he's shown as both a facilitator and a reliable scorer.
And while expectations obviously should be tempered, to say he's showing shades of Jayson Tatum feels like a completely sane thing to say given what we've seen from the 20-year-old.
Based on his upside and the current state of versatile wings dominating the NBA, there's a real world in which, when we look ahead five years from now, Dybantsa and Riley are the duo that the Wizards are building around, not Dybantsa and Johnson, Dybantsa and George, or even Dybantsa and Sarr.
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