The Kid Who Mapped Every Move to the League: AJ Dybantsa.

Written by Brandon Pulmano

Founder | Sideline Society Media

AJ Dybantsa decided he was going to be a basketball player in first grade. He locked in harder during the pandemic than most kids his age ever locked in on anything. He left Massachusetts for California, then left California for Utah. Basically chasing better competition the way some kids chase a paycheck. Each move looked like a leap of faith. By the time he landed at Utah Prep, the rankings had already crowned him. The number one recruit in the class of 2025. A McDonald's All American. A FIBA U19 World Cup MVP with Team USA gold around his neck three summers running. Then he picked BYU, and the college basketball landscape completely changed.

Dybantsa averaged 25.5 points a game as a true freshman, the most in the country, on a frame that already looks pro ready at six foot nine with a seven foot wingspan. He broke Kevin Durant's Big 12 scoring record in a three game stretch. Next he set BYU's freshman scoring record with 43 points against Utah. Then AJ became the school's third ever first team All American.

Larry Bird is the last player to average that many points, rebounds and assists in a season and walk away a consensus All American. Crazy to think about but that was in 1979. Dybantsa did it as a freshman, sandwiched between a Big 12 Freshman of the Year trophy and a Naismith finalist nod. AJ Dybantsa has shades of Tracy McGrady and Kevin Durant in his game. Whether he lives up to that potential remains to be seen.

Tonight at Barclays Center, the kid who mapped every move since first grade finds out which franchise gets to cash in on the plan. The tape said number one overall for months. But I do think in a shocker Darryn Peterson is going first overall and Dybantsa will land second to the Utah Jazz. We are talking about the same franchise that poured real money into getting him to BYU in the first place through CEO Danny Ainge and owner Ryan Smith. Wherever AJ Dybantsa goes he will hit the ground running.

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