The 2026-27 NBA regular season is over a week old, and so far, it has lived up to the hype (minus all the injuries). However, if I had to nitpick on one aspect of it all, it's that the number one overall pick from the 2026 NBA Draft, AJ Dybantsa, has yet to make his official debut.

Will that change when the Washington Wizards square off against the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight? Here is the answer to that, as well as updates on all the other injuries in this game.

AJ Dybantsa could make debut vs. Cavs

It looks like our wish may finally becoming true tonight. According to the NBA's official injury report guide Dybantsa is listed as questionable for tonight's game with the ankle sprain that has kept him out to this point. However, ESPN's Shams Charania is reporting that he will debut tonight.

The Wizards will definetly be without Justin Champagnie (foot), Tristan Vukcevic (hip), and Jamir Watkins (ACL). Watkins could miss the entire season recovering from his injuries. Meanwhile it seems that what Champagnie and Vukevic are dealing with is of the short-term variety.

For the Cavaliers, the only notable injury for them is Nae'Qwan Tomlin. He is listed as "out" for this game with a lower back strain.

Wizards projected starting lineup with AJ Dybantsa

We've already seen how the Wizards will operate without Dybantsa in the lineup, so let's take a look at how things will look once he is finally integrated into the mix.

Given how much is invested in Dybantsa, the Wizards are almost a shoo-in to start him. He will take Bilal Coulibaly out of the starting rotation. Trae Young, Alex Sarr, and Anthony Davis are all locks for the starting five. That leaves Kyshawn George and Coulibaly, and George has just flashed a more useful skillset over the last couple of seasons.

Coulibaly will slide over to a role coming off the bench. He will provide supplementary aid alongside Bub Carrington, Tre Johnson, Khris Middleton, and Deandre Ayton. Champagnie would normally be a part of this group, but he's obviously hurt. I also wouldn't be surprised to see Will Riley get some tick. His shooting and drive game really popped during his rookie year. I'm sure the Wizards would like to continue to harness that when they get a chance.

Expect the Cavaliers to continue with their starting lineup of Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Peyton Watson, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen. If Dybantsa doesn't make his debut tonight, his next chance will be on Friday against the Charlotte Hornets.