AJ Dybantsa Thinks He's a Star, But College Coaches Can't Stop Talking About This One Flaw

Alright, Emerald City, we gotta talk about the NBA draft, even if it's not our Sonics making the picks yet! The 2026 class just went down, and college coaches are spillin' the tea on who actually lived up to the hype and who's got some serious question marks. ESPN got the inside scoop from the guys who tried to stop these beasts, and what they're saying about the top two picks is straight-up wild, especially for the #1 overall guy heading to the Wizards.

AJ Dybantsa's Unbridled Confidence Collides With His Jumper

So, AJ Dybantsa, the #1 overall pick. He's been the top prospect since he reclassified back in 2023, and he absolutely lit it up in his one season at BYU. This dude led the entire sport in scoring with a ridiculous 25.5 points per game and was a consensus All-American. He wasn't just scoring either, he hit 40 or more points twice, dropped a 33-point, 10-rebound, 10-assist triple-double against Eastern Washington in December, and set the Big 12 tournament scoring record for a freshman! Plus, he became the first freshman to score 30-plus points in his NCAA tournament debut since some guy named Stephen Curry in 2007. Yeah, that's elite company. Coaches absolutely raved about his competitiveness. One opposing coach said Dybantsa guarded their leading scorer the whole game, chasing him around, showing he was "just trying to win and he was trying to do everything." Another Big 12 coach noted he "got better, he got more competitive" and was "playing his best ball late in the year," comparing him to NBA stars like Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and Kawhi Leonard as an "oversized, ballhandling wing." His ability to "just rise up and just create his own shot was so impressive," according to a third coach. The guy's got an NBA game, no doubt. But here's the kicker: despite all that, coaches pointed out a major flaw.

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His perimeter shot? Inconsistent. He only made 49 three-pointers all season, shooting just 33.1%. One coach flat out called him "just an OK shooter" and said, "you don't have to run him off the line." Ouch. The irony is, another coach who preferred Peterson at #1 still admitted Dybantsa is "very likely a real star in the NBA" because "Dybantsa thinks that." His "unbridled confidence" and "seeking out the responsibility" are seen as his greatest strengths, even if that jumper isn't quite there yet.

The Real Reason Darryn Peterson Was a Roller Coaster for Kansas

Then there's Darryn Peterson, the #2 pick to the Jazz, whose season at Kansas was a total head-scratcher. His health and playing status were the biggest storylines, with speculation running wild whenever he missed a game or sat out a half. Turns out, the mystery was finally solved when he told ESPN's Ramona Shelburne in May that debilitating full-body cramping issues came from high doses of creatine. Yikes! When Peterson was actually on the court, though, he showed why he was so sought after. He averaged 20.2 points and 4.2 rebounds, shooting a solid 38.2% from three-point range. His January performance against Baylor was legendary, dropping 26 points in just 23 minutes on an insane 11-for-13 shooting. And yeah, the source even mentions he "outdueled Dybantsa" at one point. He played in 24 of Kansas's 35 games, hitting over 30 minutes in 13 of them, with seven of those coming in the final nine games, suggesting he found some rhythm late. So, there you have it, folks. Two wildly different journeys to the top of the draft board. Dybantsa's got that undeniable star power and elite scoring, but that jumper? It's gonna be something to watch. And Peterson, well, let's hope the Jazz doctors have figured out that creatine situation. The NBA season's a marathon, not a sprint, and we'll be glued to our screens to see how these two phenoms start their pro careers!

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.