After a productive start to his rookie campaign with the Washington Wizards, forward AJ Dybantsa earned high praise from All-Star teammate Trae Young.
Dybantsa debuted on Wednesday, recording 19 points, two rebounds and two assists in a loss against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He finished with the most points of any Wizards rookie in a debut since Tom Gugliotta on Nov. 2, 1992 (20).
The No. 1 overall pick followed that effort up with 17 points, seven rebounds, one assist and one steal in a 95-79 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Friday. He also registered five deflections and held Brandon Miller to 1-for-6 shooting as his primary defender.
"It is everything that you expected," Young said of Dybantsa. "We didn’t win the first game, but he came out
and obviously his presence was felt, and he played aggressive. For me, that's all I wanted him to be: Just be himself. Obviously, he has (said) he doesn't have a lot of pressure on himself, and you can see it in the way he plays, and I want him to feel that way."
Dybantsa was sidelined for the start of the regular season after sustaining a left ankle sprain in the Wizards' preseason finale on Oct. 16. He logged 27 minutes in his debut and 29 minutes on Friday as he ramps up his workload following the injury.
The 6-foot-9 Dybantsa has stayed aggressive on offense while also showing defensive activity with his size and length. He is welcoming those elite defensive matchups and wants to continue guarding the opposition's best players.
Arriving with much hype, Dybantsa has offered a glimpse of why he was touted as a generational prospect. The team was thrilled to get him back on the court and is now eager to see what he has in store for the rest of the season.
"He is going to be a superstar in this league," Young said. "He already is going to have a lot of eyes and attention on him in any game he plays. For me, it's not letting this opportunity go by and continuing to give him as much feedback as I can and also letting him be himself because he was the No. 1 pick for a reason."
This article originally appeared on Rookie Wire: Wizards' Trae Young calls rookie AJ Dybantsa a future 'superstar'
