BYU freshman AJ Dybantsa has declared for the 2026 NBA Draft, where he is projected to be the No. 1 overall pick. He is also considering returning for his sophomore season after a standout year with impressive stats.
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BYU star freshman AJ Dybantsa announced on Thursday that he will declare for the 2026 NBA Draft. Dybantsa is largely projected to be the No. 1 overall pick.
In Yahoo Sports’ latest mock draft, Kevin O’Connor has Dybantsa going first overall to the Chicago Bulls.
Since BYU’s season-ending loss to Texas in the first round of the NCAA tournament, Dybantsa has been mulling his decision on whether to declare or return for his sophomore season. He told Yahoo Sports earlier this month that his decision was up to his mom, who values his education and has helped him with many of his decisions.
Dybantsa made a massive impact on the Cougars last season. The 19-year-old averaged 25.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.1 steals while shooting 51% from the field for BYU. He was named to the AP All-America First Team, alongside Duke freshman Cam Boozer and Arkansas freshman Darius Acuff Jr., who declared for the draft earlier this week.
Dybantsa broke Kevin Durant’s Big 12 tournament scoring record with 93 points across three games. Dybantsa scored 40 against Kansas State in the first round of the Big 12 tournament, his second 40-point game at BYU.
Nineteen years ago, Durant scored 92 points in three games while at Texas.
Dybantsa was BYU’s No. 1 option all season long and still took on an increased scoring load after senior guard Richie Saunders went down with a season-ending torn ACL late in the season. In BYU’s NCAA tournament loss to Texas, Dybantsa scored 35 and Robert Wright III had 14 points. Everyone else on BYU’s roster combined for 22.
AJ Dybantsa averaged 25.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.1 steals while shooting 51% from the field.
AJ Dybantsa is projected to be selected first overall by the Chicago Bulls in the 2026 NBA Draft.
AJ Dybantsa broke Kevin Durant’s Big 12 tournament scoring record with 93 points across three games.
AJ Dybantsa has declared for the NBA Draft but is also considering returning for his sophomore season.
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Here’s what O’Connor wrote about Dybantsa in his Wednesday mock draft. The Bulls are one of any number of teams who could get the number one overall pick. But no matter who ends up with the top selection, Dybantsa is going to be heavily considered.
Artūras Karnišovas and Marc Eversley got fired. And Billy Donovan decided to decline his option as head coach. But what really changes? The team felt no different under them than it did with Gar Forman and John Paxson leading the front office. The common denominator: The Reinsdorf family is still in charge. But maybe all they really need is some lottery luck to escape the middle. If the Bulls are lucky enough to move up from the ninth-best odds, it’d be hard to imagine them taking anyone but Dybantsa, who led the nation in scoring as a freshman by averaging 25.5 points for a top-25 team.
At 6-foot-9, players his size are not supposed to move with the herky-jerky elasticity that Dybantsa does. He can dunk over defenders. He can stop on a dime and fade away from midrange. And he can catch fire from behind the line too. BYU head coach Kevin Young said Dybantsa’s scoring talent is “in rare air with some of the greats.” Over the course of his freshman year, he began to make dramatic progress as a passer, too, as shown with his cross-court, pinpoint passes to find shooters. But with the Bulls, there’d be less of a need for his playmaking with point guard Josh Giddey on the roster. Matas Buzelis can handle the ball too. And all of them are tall. The three of them would have the upside to become an unstoppable trio given their blend of size and skill.
Before reclassifying up a year to play at BYU, Dybantsa was one of the most highly touted high school basketball players. He played for Utah Prep, Prolific Prep and Saint Sebastian’s during his high school career. He was the No. 1 recruit in the country in 2025 ahead of Kansas’ Darryn Peterson and Duke’s Cameron Boozer.
Both Peterson and Boozer have not made their draft decisions but are widely expected to also declare for the 2026 Draft and be likely top-three picks.