AJ Dybantsa Makes his Case to be Number One for Pacers

The Pacers are on track to secure the first overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. They continue to lose without their All-Star Tyrese Haliburton. March Madness is in full swing, and there are plenty of draft prospects playing in high-stakes games for fans to keep an eye on.

Prior to the NCAA Tournament, I released a full first round mock draft. The number one pick was AJ Dybantsa. After last night’s game against the Texas Longhorns, AJ solidified his spot, in my opinion, as the best player in the draft. He was sensational on the offensive end for BYU.

OH NAH, AJ DYBANTSA WHAT ARE YOU ON BRO 😭 pic.twitter.com/MO0EnhS8eX
— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) March 20, 2026

March Madness Spotlight: AJ Dybantsa Takes Over

AJ played all 40 minutes for the short-handed Cougars. He scored 35 points on 44% shooting from the field. He only shot 17% from deep but hit a big one when BYU needed it most. He has a knack for getting to the free-throw line. He went 12-for-12 from the stripe. That is a translatable NBA skill.

NBA Translation: Why It Works

The ability at 6’9”, 215 lbs to handle the ball, get to his spots, and rise up will translate as well. He was consistently double-teamed all night, and it didn’t matter. He helped on the glass by hauling in ten rebounds. The problem for BYU was the rest of the team wasn’t up to the task. AJ will not continue in the tournament, but he made a statement to scouts and GMs regardless.

AJ is a classic height, weight, speed mismatch at the next level. He is going to be trouble every night because if you put a big on him, he is too fast. If you defend him with a smaller player, he is just too big. That leaves opposing coaches in a dilemma.

Areas for Improvement

He needs to work on his ball handling, three-point shooting, and defense at the next level. These are going to be the things that, if mastered, take him from a good NBA player to a great one. Defense is his biggest flaw. He has mental lapses. He doesn’t slide his feet and gets out of position. He appears to have a long wingspan, and that should help him play the passing lanes until he improves his positional defense.

There is just too much upside for this young man for the Indiana Pacers to ignore. If they are lucky enough to get the first overall pick in the lottery, I think it is a no-brainer, run-to-the-podium selection. The fit for the Pacers is perfect.

The Fit in Indiana

AJ would slide into a wing role on the team from day one. That could be in the starting lineup or coming off the bench. When you have a dynamic offensive engine like Tyrese Haliburton, giving him a running mate like AJ Dybantsa will take some pressure off him as he returns from his Achilles injury.

The Pacers solidified their frontcourt with the Zubac trade. The amount of length they can put on the floor at one time gives Indiana tremendous versatility. The question remains: will they have enough defense to make it to the Finals and close the deal next season? Drafting a player of AJ Dybantsa’s caliber will only make the answer to that question even more intriguing.

I’m sure fans can’t wait to find out.

You can follow me on X @DigitalAdel and listen to my podcast, DigitalAdelHoops on Youtube