AJ Dybantsa Makes Statement in First NBA Matchup With Darryn Peterson

LAS VEGAS — AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson, the top two picks in a loaded 2026 NBA draft class, will spend much of their careers being compared to one another. Fittingly, in their introduction to the NBA, the two faced off, the first of many post-draft measuring-stick moments between the two sensational talents.

But if Wizards top executive Michael Winger was hoping Thursday night’s Summer League clash would give him added confidence that he got the call right selecting Dybantsa, he had to feel good watching his top pick outduel Peterson in front of a Las Vegas crowd that oohed and aahed at every move the two made.

This was Dybantsa’s first competitive game played since his record-setting BYU career ended in the first round of the NCAA tournament at the hands of Texas, a fact he reminded the horde of media that surrounded him to get his thoughts on his NBA debut. And outside of a few jump shots that came up frustratingly short, Dybantsa did not look like a player with any rust to shake off. In just 26 minutes, he scored 27 points, getting to the free throw line at will and powering his way to the rim against just about whoever guarded him.

Meanwhile, Peterson, who has made a name for himself in part for his epic performances against Dybantsa (see the 61-point outburst in high school or the dominant half in one of the most anticipated college games last season), labored through his Las Vegas debut after dominating the Salt Lake City Summer League last week. He still went for 24 points and flashed some of the effortless scoring that makes him such a tantalizing prospect, but left meat on the bone with missed free throws and layups. He also struggled with Washington’s ball pressure; the Wizards often had guard Jamir Watkins (who was whistled for nine fouls) picking up Peterson before half court, and Peterson’s three-assist, eight-turnover final stat line reflected that.

“They’re two of the best young players on the planet,” Jazz Summer League head coach Steve Wojciechowski said afterward. “Both kids handled the fire exceptionally well.”

Neither player delivered a true signature moment in their debut in the summer spotlight, though there were chances. Dybantsa looked to have a breakaway dunk opportunity, but fumbled what was essentially a one-on-zero fast break that could’ve produced quite the highlight. Peterson opted for a rim-grazing soft finish on his lone wide-open transition opportunity of the game. Each star shook a defender nearly out of their shoes to elicit roars from the crowd … but neither made the ensuing open three to really bring the house down. And late in the second quarter, when the gym roared to life as Peterson guarded Dybantsa in an isolation possession with the clock winding down, Dybantsa clanked a pull-up two after creating some space off the dribble.

Still, the two top picks’ scoring exploits were on full display in ways that sometimes have been rare in these much-ballyhooed summer openers. Last year, Cooper Flagg had just 10 points in a stat-sheet-stuffing display in his debut. Two years before that, Victor Wembanyama shot 2 of 13 from the field en route to nine points in his first action with the Spurs. Dybantsa’s 27-point explosion tied a Summer League record for a No. 1 pick’s debut, matching Blake Griffin’s tally.

Yet despite that record, Dybantsa, with huge diamond studs in each ear and a baseball cap emblazoned with his new Nike star logo on, would only go as far as to call his debut “solid,” bemoaning too many misses on clean looks. Make a few of those, and Dybantsa’s debut would’ve been all the more eye-popping. He closed the game on the bench, which Wizards coach T.J. Sorrentine attributed to general soreness associated with the lack of competitive action in recent months. That stretch gave the Jazz a window of opportunity to steal the game after trailing essentially the entire way, but 2025 first-rounder Will Riley sealed it with a three-point play in the final minute.

Meanwhile, Peterson attempted to downplay the significance of the showdown of the two top prospects, quipping that he “looks forward to every game we play” without adding too much extra juice to the showdown of two top picks. But after in Salt Lake City, Peterson pointed out that he was sure No. 3 pick Cameron Boozer “probably had an agenda” of wanting to prove those who let him slide to No. 3 wrong, assuredly he’d have liked to pull out the type of epic showing he has against Dybantsa in past matchups.

Still, Peterson has done plenty in a Jazz uniform for Utah fans to be excited about the future. In that matchup with Boozer, his 25 points and 12 assists had Utah salivating over the long-term potential of his partnership with fellow rising star Keyonte George. George has been heavily involved with the Jazz Summer League team, even petitioning the NBA to be allowed to serve as an assistant coach for Thursday’s game before eventually being rebuffed. Peterson called George his “vet,” looking up to the 22-year-old as a guidepost for his early NBA career.

But if we’re starting a new scoreboard between these two highly touted rookies as they begin their NBA journeys, the first win does go to Dybantsa. He showed the reasons why scouts believe he could one day lead the NBA in scoring … a day that could come sooner rather than later if he can build on his electric summer debut.

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