Top pick AJ Dybantsa’s NBA debut was delayed due to an ankle injury, but he quickly showcased why Washington chose him over fellow coveted prospects in Darryn Peterson and Cameron Boozer. Eight games in, though, Dybantsa isn’t satisfied.

He’s quickly made an impact on both ends of the floor on a team that has two stars in Anthony Davis and Trae Young, but the Wizards have lost six of the eight games Dybantsa has played. On Wednesday, Washington lost its fifth straight game—a 114–101 defeat to the Tyrese Haliburton-less Pacers.

The Wizards had trouble moving the ball with just 12 assists to Indiana’s 29. Washington’s defense gave up 37 points in the fourth quarter after the game was tied entering the final frame. Dybantsa had 13 points and four rebounds in a night where he struggled shooting: 6-for-15 from the floor, 0-for-4 from three and 1-for-4 on free throws. He’s had a few games where he’s struggled from the floor, but he’s already flashed why the Wizards bet on him over fellow draftees seen in the same tier.

At 6'9", Dybantsa’s craftiness and quick first step alone scream future superstar each time he gets the ball and goes to work. Add his athleticism, positional size and the ability to score at all three levels, the BYU product looks special. The type of player that can be a top option for the next decade-plus.

Although Dybantsa isn’t putting up Darius Acuff scoring numbers right out of the gate, he’s got the league’s attention. His potential is impossible to ignore each time you get a glimpse of him on the court.

• NBA Rookie of the Year Rankings 2.0: Yaxel Lendeborg Surges Up the List

According to Dybantsa, however, he needs more. “Don’t matter. Need more dubs,” he wrote on his X account Monday after a loss to the Pistons in response to some praise from ESPN.

don't matter. need more dubs. https://t.co/Tk69nqCYlB

— AJ Dybantsa (@AJ_Dybantsa) November 10, 2026

That’s what any team wants out of its rookie. Individual stats and highlights don’t matter, it’s all about winning games. Dybantsa entered an interesting situation after the Wizards acquired Young and Davis around the trade deadline last season. Young played just five games in a Wizards uniform after his arrival and Davis didn’t make his debut with the team until this year.

On one hand, the No. 1 pick wouldn’t have to sink or swim. He has two stars around him to keep the offense humming as he gets his feet under him. On the other, Dybantsa needs the ball and how would that work with such a ball-dominant guard in Young?

“[Dybantsa] needs a ball in his hands if that's how he plays,” an anonymous NBA scout told Sports Illustrated over the offseason. “How do you do that with Trae? Because Trae needs the ball like Cade Cunningham needs the ball. [Head coach] Brian Keefe is going to have his hands full designing an offense that keeps everybody happy.”

After a 4–3 start to the season, it looked like the Wizards might be able to thread the needle. Now on a five-game skid, though, Washington quickly cratered toward the bottom of the Eastern Conference with some real questions that face the new-look roster.

What’s going wrong for the Wizards?

The biggest problem the Wizards currently face is atrocious floor spacing. As a unit, the Wizards are getting up 32.2 three-point attempts per game. That’s the fourth-lowest amount of three-point shots across the league and the efficiency has been even worse. Washington has shot just 29.8% on its threes, 29th in the NBA and only better than the Chicago Bulls.

Dybantsa has contributed to that—he’s shooting just 27.3% from deep on 3.1 attempts per game. His three-point shot is a work in progress and he wasn’t expected to shoot the lights out at the start of his career. The spacing around him has made offensive opportunities tougher, though. Young has had a horrible start shooting the ball but, mainly, playing alongside Alex Sarr and Davis is the issue. Davis has shot the ball well, but that’s not what he’s known for and he doesn’t do it on nearly enough volume to make defenders overcommit.

Sarr’s shot hasn’t come along as the Wizards have hoped since he was the second pick in the 2024 draft. He’s still only 21 and he could develop into a floor-spacing big, but he’s not there right now. A starting lineup with Sarr, Davis and Dybantsa limits the offense. Opposing defenses can collapse and take away easy looks for Washington’s lengthy frontcourt and wings.

As such, Washington’s offensive rating of 107.9 ranks higher than only the basement dwellers of the Kings, Bucks, Nets, Jazz and Hornets. On the bright side, the Wizards’ defense has been much better and Dybantsa is a big part of that, plus he wants to take on more.

“I’ve been telling coach I want to take that challenge, I want to guard the best player on the other team,” Dybantsa said after a loss to the Pistons on Monday. “I think I got the length for it, I think I got the size for it, I think I got the quickness for it. Taking that challenge is what the NBA’s about. You want to go compete against the best, I want to prove I’m a good defender in this league so the only way to do it is to go guard the best player on the other team.”

The offense should get better. Young won’t shoot less than 30% from deep the whole season and Dybantsa will improve in efficiency as he gets more NBA games under his belt. Kyshawn George has been really good thus far as a key cog in Keefe’s offense.

The Sarr-Davis pairing has hampered the offense, though, even if it provides plenty of positives on the other end of the floor. Some changes may be in store to make the offense flow, both to put the No. 1 pick in the best situation possible and to stop losses from piling up further. The current state of the Wizards isn’t good enough and the new face of the franchise in Dybantsa would say so himself.

PODCAST 🎧: Listen to SI’s NBA podcast, Open Floor, below or on Apple and . Watch the show on SI’s YouTube channel.