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AJ Dybantsa from BYU and Darryn Peterson from Kansas showcased their skills at the NBA Draft Combine, with a focus on agility testing and shooting drills. Fans are particularly interested in their performances as the Utah Jazz hold the No. 2 overall pick in the upcoming draft.
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BYU forward AJ Dybantsa (3) gestures to his teammates as he brings the ball up the court during a first-round college basketball game against Texas in the NCAA Tournament held at the Moda Center in Portland, Ore., on Thursday, March 19, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
CHICAGO — At the NBA’s pre-draft combine, agility testing and shooting drills started on Monday night. But it was the first two groups to go through testing on Tuesday that most people were interested in.
Those Tuesday groups included incoming NBA rookies AJ Dybantsa (BYU), Darryn Peterson (Kansas), Cameron Boozer (Duke) and Caleb Wilson (North Carolina) as well as the other lottery bound prospects.
As the Utah Jazz have No. 2 overall pick in the 2026 draft, fans were wondering who would impress and what would stand out when it came to the consensus top two players, Dybantsa and Peterson.
Dybantsa’s max vertical jump at 42 inches, his shooting off the dribble (76.7%) and a perfect 10-of-10 on free throws stood out. Peterson’s 76% performance on spot-up shooting and the fact that he measured in at 6′4.5″ without shoes with a 6′9.75 wingspan only solidified Peterson as a top prospect.
But it’s important to keep in mind how much data and how much intel NBA teams already have on all of these prospects. They have been following their careers since they were very young and probably know more about their basketball skills than the players themselves.
So, while combine performances can help prospects, they rarely hurt them.
“Everyone can have a bad day,” a Western Conference front office executive said. “It’s a new place, an unfamiliar gym. I’m not judging anyone on what happens here. I have a whole body of work to look at.”
Instead of worrying about physical performance at the combine, the more important component is the interview and medical reviews with the individual teams.
Interviews with players also started on Tuesday and will continue throughout the week. Medical reviews will happen after the conclusion of the combine activities.
Executives and coaches are most interested in getting into a room with the players and trying to get a feel for who they are as people, seeing if they are a player that will fit with the culture of the team and mesh with the rest of the players in the locker room.
AJ Dybantsa participated in agility testing and shooting drills, drawing significant attention as a top prospect.
Darryn Peterson was part of the Tuesday testing groups, where he aimed to impress scouts with his skills alongside other lottery-bound prospects.
Both players are attracting interest, especially from the Utah Jazz, who hold the No. 2 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
The NBA Draft Combine is crucial for prospects as it allows them to showcase their skills in front of scouts and potentially influence their draft stock.
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But even then, the combine is just a small component of what goes into making the decision to draft a player.
“It’s part of it,” Jazz president of basketball operations Austin Ainge told the Deseret News. “But it’s just a part of it. We’ve seen all of them for so long, and we know that they’re all talented and good kids.”
Though, even when it comes to trying to find the best fit for a team, that’s usually the job of a team that has a mid-to-late lottery pick coming their way. The Jazz, with the No. 2 overall pick, will be taking the most talented player available.
In speaking with a number of scouts and NBA executives, it seems that there isn’t a clear cut decision on who could be the No. 1 overall pick when draft day (June 23) rolls around. Generally people believe that both Dybantsa and Peterson have the potential to be multi-time All-Stars with very successful careers.
Some say Dybantsa is the safe choice, while Peterson could have a higher ceiling. Some say that Peterson is more talented, but that Dybansta fits the mold of a more modern, versatile NBA player.
After a day of watching all of the combine prospects work out and go through a litany of drills and exercises, not many minds were changed. It’s still a two-man race with Dybantsa and Peterson leading the way.
Kansas guard Darryn Peterson (22) attempts to get past BYU center Abdullah Ahmed, center, as BYU guard Richie Saunders (15) also defends during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, in Lawrence, Kan. | Colin E. Braley
A.J. Dybantsa 3/4 Court Sprint at the Pre-Draft Combine: pic.twitter.com/IwRAec1VR7
— David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) May 12, 2026
A.J. Dybantsa shooting threes at the NBA Draft combine. pic.twitter.com/7SfqNQLFBa
— Chase Hughes (@chasedcsports) May 12, 2026
AJ Dybantsa pro lane drill at the NBA draft combine pic.twitter.com/rg70Tkon04
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 12, 2026
Draft Combine Nba Salvajada de AJ Dybantsa que brilla en la zona de salto 33.5 en salto vertical (85.09 cm) buen salto pero en el vertical carrera 42.0 (106.68cm) mas de 10 cm mejor que Darryn Peterson y superando por ejemplo a Zach Lavine cuando hizo su prueba en 2014 con 41.5 pic.twitter.com/F1Y7u3qLmc
— NCAA PLAY&REWIND (@ncaaplayrewind) May 12, 2026
BYU's AJ Dybantsa measured 6'8.5 barefoot and 217 pounds at the NBA Draft Combine, with a 7'0.25 wingspan and 8'10 standing reach.
In line with his past measurements, and still elite dimensions for an NBA wing. pic.twitter.com/ieVet2rRju
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 11, 2026