Five Challengers to Threaten Wizards' AJ Dybantsa and his Rookie of the Year Push

The Washington Wizards' newest star has a loaded draft class worth of up-and-comers to complicate his ROTY case.

Mar 7, 2026; Provo, Utah, USA; BYU Cougars forward AJ Dybantsa (3) celebrates with fans after a win over the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Marriott Center. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Baker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The favorites to take home the NBA's Rookie of the Year award are due to keep getting lightly shuffled over the quieter coming months between Summer League and this fall's regular season tip-off, but Washington Wizards fans can expect their new centerpiece to remain a fixture in the ever-changing odds. Three of the last four No. 1 overall draft picks have walked away with the Wilt Chamberlain Trophy, and there's little reason to believe that incoming Wizards star AJ Dybantsa will disrupt the trend.

While the uber-talented 2026 NBA Draft batch will undoubtedly aid the league's goal to inject further young talent across the game, that advantage will work as an obstacle against Dybantsa's aim to continue proving himself a tier above his direct competition. The exciting prospect isn't without hungry suitors dead-set on muddying his personal goals at everyone else's expense, and the field is talented enough to turn the 2026-27 Rookie of the Year race into a show.

Here are five of the most imposing threats to beat the class' headliner out for top rookie honors over the coming season:

Darryn Peterson, Utah Jazz

If any draft classmate is fueled by raw revenge in the incoming ROTY race, it's the Utah Jazz's own A-list rookie.

Jan 31, 2026; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Darryn Peterson (22) looks to pass against BYU Cougars forward AJ Dybantsa (3) during the first half at Mizzou Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

He's already experienced numerous run-ins with Dybantsa over the last few years while the star prospects enjoyed their separate rises to fame. While Peterson more often won out over the lanky wing, Dybantsa's recent edge has taken the form of his winning the Wizards' approval at the draft's top selection spot, followed by an immediate Summer League win during their first head-to-head showdown in NBA threads.

Peterson, himself believing that he'd go No. 1 in last month's draft, has all of the personal reasons to chase another victory in his burgeoning rivalry with Dybantsa. The Jazz's own top prospect is already more developed as a floor-spacing scorer, and he'll get the opportunity to thrive both on and away from the ball in a Utah ecosystem already loaded with shooters peppered into the center room and guard rotation.

What he lacks in Dybantsa's raw length he makes up for in his dogged defensive determination, already unafraid to get his hands dirty in approaching challenging matchups. When Peterson comes to D.C., he'll be visiting with the intention of getting one over on his classmate on both ends of the floor.

Cameron Boozer, Memphis Grizzlies

The Memphis Grizzlies were granted a fortuitious position in this past draft at No. 3. While the draft-leading Wizards and Jazz assessed the back-and-forth between the pair of ascending alpha dog scorers, the Grizzlies' choice seemed simple; scoop up Cameron Boozer, the relentless winner without any glaring weaknesses to his game.

He wasted no time in translating his comfortability as a competitor to the next level, doing what few other star rookies do in playing out the entirety of Summer League and helping to lead the Grizzlies' fringe roster to the bracket's championship game.

Cameron Boozer knocks down the contested 3 🎯

The 3rd overall pick is up to 12 PTS as the Grizzlies lead in the NBA Summer League Championship on ESPN! pic.twitter.com/Pjye8pfSkg

— NBA (@NBA) July 20, 2026

That's the Boozer pitch for you -- he stepped into the NCAA game as Duke's next leading prospect, and walked away with a National Player of the Year award. His combination of passing, rebounding and subtly-impressive scoring versatility promise to aid Memphis' own attempted escape from the land of rebuilders, a goal that continues growing in attainability as the Eastern Conference (finally) seizes comparable dominance atop their western neighbors.

Boozer is far from alone on the Grizzlies' newest attempt at constructing a contender. Developing prospects such as Zach Edey, Cedric Coward, Cam Spencer, Jaylen Wells and Javon Small make for a promising talent bed alongside Boozer classmates Karim López and Richie Saunders, and his getting rewarded overtop Dybantsa with a jump in the standings would check out if he's able (and willing) to post the necessary counting statistics.

Caleb Wilson, Chicago Bulls

Just like if a time traveler were to suddenly phase in and tell us that any one member of those top-three draftees were to go on to become the best player of the bunch to very little surprise, the sentiment can be extended toward No. 4 pick Caleb Wilson.

He's the Chicago Bulls' newest lead prospect, and he has the athleticism and mentality worthy of reviving the legacy franchise. He's a whirl in the open court with some vertically-inclined defensive skill set to offer, and if his electric Summer League showing warned the rest of the league, it's that he's more willing to unload and capitalize from 3-point land than he implied during his college tenure as a University of North Caroline Tar Heel.

Feb 2, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Caleb Wilson (8) on the free throw line in the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Count the Bulls in as another squad eager to escape the league's basement, especially as NBA Commissioner Adam Silver continues giving teams fewer reasons to openly prioritize draft odds ahead of nightly on-court victories.

And unlike Dybantsa, who'll be surrounded with proven veterans such as Trae Young and Anthony Davis to fit in alongside, the Bulls already seem like Wilson's team as they approach a strong finish to the 2020s. He'll get just as long, if not an even longer leash to experiment while growing into the league. and that may very well take the form of a rookie year award win.

Yaxel Lendeborg, Golden State Warriors

The star frontcourt scorer out of Michigan makes for one of the most intriguing names to watch among incoming rookies. Unlike the aforementioned talents, each ranging somewhere between 19 and 20 years old, wild card Yaxel Lendeborg is currently 23 years of age, and he'll have celebrated his 24th birthday by the time his Golden State Warriors are ready to go for their season opener.

It almost makes too much sense that he finds himself in Golden State, an aging roster who'se spent all decade dying for a young talent to ease Stephen Curry's burden, and he's answered all of the doubts that normally tail older prospects by continuing to improve and add the sort of swing skills that NBA teams always seem eager to prioritize.

It was he who stopped Boozer and the Grizzlies from seizing Summer League gold earlier this month, with Lendeborg winning MVP of the Las Vegas games thanks to that variety of grown-man strength, off-the-dribble advantage-creation and point-of-attack perimeter scoring.

Yaxel Lendeborg — SL MVP Tape pic.twitter.com/muNyepuobQ

— Basketball Performances (@NBAPerformances) July 20, 2026

He's five years older than Dybantsa, having already added the interior physicality and 3-ball that the Wizards' own lead prospect is still looking to improve. If he's able to help elevate the Curry-centric roster back into the western playoffs, he'll surely earn the buzz to unseat younger pieces with relatively-stronger box score numbers on lesser teams in the eyes of award voters.

Darius Acuff Jr., Sacramento Kings

While a number of ball-handling guards soaked up the draft's remaining top-10 selections, few can look forward to as open a road to sky-high on-ball usage as Darius Acuff Jr.

Unlike other mid-to-late lottery picks such as Kingston Flemings, Mikel Brown Jr., Keaton Wagler and Brayden Burries, Acuff's Kings are clearly lacking in high-end creators for the point guard to balance ball-handling duties with, especially with Zach LaVine's future in flux and Russell Westbrook cast back into another interminable round of free agency.

Feb 28, 2026; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks guard Darius Acuff Jr. (5) during the game against the Florida Gators in the first half at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Mandatory Credit: Travis Register-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

He averaged 23.5 points as a one-and-done Arkansas Razorback, posting 48.4/44.0% splits from the field and 3-point range as a relentlessly-crafty bucket generator. Even amidst Maxime Raynaud's own surprise rise, the Kings don't have much to play for as they aim to re-tool their own depth for the future, providing Acuff with plenty of runway to take on full-time creating duties.

Consider this another case, perhaps the most drastic instance yet, of someone without many positional options with which to contend challenging Dybantsa's ability to fit in alongside more known quantities in Washington on the fly.

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