The NBA Summer League tipped off on July 3rd, so while the Wizards don’t begin until the 9th, this has given fans a glimpse of some of the other young stars drafted just after AJ Dybantsa.
And boy have they shined.
The No.2 overall pick, Darryn Peterson of the Utah Jazz, has made Summer League his so far.
Coming off of a debut where he scored 28 points, the Kansas product took it up a notch on Monday night when, against Cameron Boozer and the Memphis Grizzlies, he scored an easy 25 points and showed an element of his game that was missing in his time at Kansas with his superb playmaking skills, dishing out 12 assists in the process.
There’s no other way to put it, but through these first two games, Peterson has looked every bit the generational guard prospect that scouts and fans alike have been salivating over since his time in high school.
The explosion from the player who has gotten Kobe Bryant comparisons has understandably already made some think, “Did the Wizards mess up the 1st pick?” And the answer now, no matter what happens in the summer league, is an emphatic no.
Give AJ Dybantsa time if there aren't fireworks immediately
I know, asking Wizards fans to be patient after the last decade they’ve had is like asking someone who is stuck in the desert to wait another week for water, but with the 19-year-old top pick, it is imperative.
You can rest assured that the No.1 pick will want to stamp his arrival in the NBA world in Vegas starting against Peterson and the Jazz, but in case he doesn’t right away, just relax.
Whether it is the generational Victor Wembanyama, who in his first summer league game scored just 9 points on 2/13 shooting, or the soon-to-be superstar Cooper Flagg, who in his first game shot 5/21 with 10 points, it is clear that struggling out of the gate is not a tell of how your future career will be. Don’t overreact.
Don’t put the failures of the Wizards past on AJ
Whether that be busts like Jan Vesely, whom the Wizards picked over the likes of Kawhi Leonard and Klay Thompson in 2011, or just the general disaster of the team, there’s a hope that AJ can turn the Wizards around from being the Wizards that we know in a lot of ways.
If he’s not a superstar on day 1, though, the crap that Wizards fans have had to deal with from the team shouldn’t fall on him. Give AJ time to develop without the baggage that we’ve had to carry resting on his shoulders.
Dybantsa's summer showing won't define who he is as a player, so fans should temper expectations and keep patience in the back of their minds.
At the same time, if Dybantsa outplays Peterson in their head-to-head matchup in Las Vegas, don't be shy to let the world know either.
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