The 2026 NBA Draft is quickly approaching and is believed to be one of the most talented in many years. At the top of many prospect lists is BYU forward AJ Dybantsa, whom many believe will be the first overall selection by the Washington Wizards.
In addition to his offensive skillset, Dybantsa is also known for being a very strong defender and when thinking about the players he wants to match up against defensively, one of the main ones is Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic after getting to watch him up close this past season against the Utah Jazz.
“I wanna see, me being a student of the game, how Shai gets his shot off and how Luka gets his shot off,” Dybantsa said during an appearance on Gil’s Arena. “I just wanna see, from a defensive standpoint, how it feels. Because they’re making it look way too easy. I mean, it probably is easy to them. But I just wanna know from a defensive standpoint… Because I watched Luka live and that was the probably the craziest single person performance I’ve ever seen. It was like a 40-point triple double, and it was easy.”
A similarity between Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is that they play at their own pace and don’t allow the defense to speed them up. Both know how to get to their spots on the court and are true three-level scorers which makes them basically impossible to guard.
Dybantsa wanting to take on those matchups against the two most elite perimeter scorers in the game today says a lot about his mindset and desire to compete against the absolute best. Dybantsa doesn’t just want to take them on, but he’s curious about just how they get their shots off. And him studying that, and then seeing it firsthand, will only make him better going forward.
It should also be noted that Dybantsa named LeBron James as someone he hopes to face as well after working out with him last season. So if James does return for another season and remains with the purple and gold, the games against the Lakers will be circled on Dybanta’s calendar without a doubt.
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