AJ Dybantsa ranked No. 5 in Rookie of the Year rankings

WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 04: AJ Dybantsa #4 of the Washington Wizards passes the ball against the Atlanta Hawks during the first half at Capital One Arena on November 04, 2026 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph,

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What is the story about?

Washington Wizards forward AJ Dybantsa ranked No. 5 in NBA Rookie of the Year rankings this week by NBA.com’s Jeff Zilligitt. Memphis Grizzlies forward Cameron Boozer is No. 1, but he played the entire season so far. Dybantsa, by contrast, missed the first four games of the season so he is starting behind.

Here is what Zilligitt had to say about the Wizards rookie:

Dybantsa missed Washington’s first four games with a sprained left ankle and has fit right in since making his debut on Oct. 28, scoring

at least 17 points in his three games and finding his spots to score alongside a group of scorers, including Anthony Davis and Trae Young.

So far, Dybantsa is averaging 16.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. Given that he’s playing as part of a big trio that also consists of Anthony Davis and Trae Young, that type of production, that’s encouraging. We’ll see how these rankings look as the Wizards continue their season.