After six teams played their first games yesterday, the NBA has eleven games on the docket tonight. One of those games will involve the Washington Wizards hosting the Milwaukee Bucks.

After trading Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat, the Bucks don't have much intrigue around them. The same can't be said for the Wizards, though. Last season, the team traded for Trae Young and Anthony Davis, indicating that they are finally ready to compete.

But more importantly than those transactions, the Wizards held the first overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft (an allegedly loaded class), which they used to take AJ Dybantsa. So, tonight will be the world's first real look at the headliner of the class, right?

AJ Dybantsa is out for Wizards opener vs. Bucks

Wrong. We will not get to see Dybantsa play his first meaningful action tonight, as the rookie is out with a left ankle sprain. He suffered the injury last Friday during the team's preseason finale against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Dybantsa is listed as day-to-day, according to head coach Brian Keefe. So, it does not sound like we will have to wait too much longer to see him in action. After tonight's game, the Wizards host the Toronto Raptors on Friday, before traveling to the Windy City to play the Chicago Bulls on Saturday.

Outside of Dybantsa, the Wizards will also be without Jamir Watkins (ACL) and Tristan Vukcevic (hip). The Bucks will begin the season with a relatively clean slate, as the only player on the injury report for them is Nate Ament, who is listed as probable with a left ankle sprain as well (the irony).

The Wizards projected starting lineup without Dybantsa

With Dybantsa, it seemed like the Wizards preferred starting group was going to be him, Young, Davis, Kyshawn George, and Alex Sarr. Those four are all healthy (*knocks wood*), so expect them to stay in the starting lineup.

For the fifth spot, my guess is the team will go with Bilal Coulibaly. He's the biggest, most experienced, and best defender of the youngsters (I doubt the team will want to give the starting reps to Khris Middleton). Although, I could see a world where the team wants to replace Dybantsa's scoring with a microwave scorer like Tre Johnson, or a knockdown shooter like Will Riley.

Coulibaly would be my option as well. I feel like he's been getting shoved to the side with Dybantsa being drafted and Young and Davis now in the fold. I think he still has the ability to be a very useful player for them. Let's see if they agree.