Long before he even committed to begin his college basketball career with the BYU Cougars, AJ Dybantsa was already drawing buzz as the first-overall pick of his class.
Notably, some even had him being a better and more well-rounded prospect than Cooper Flagg, and claimed he could’ve challenged him at the top this season.
However, they may not be as high on him anymore. According to Mike Chiari of Bleacher Report, NBA executives now think Darryn Peterson will take that spot away from him.
Darryn Peterson is the new favorite to go No. 1
“Kansas’ Darryn Peterson beat out BYU’s A.J. Dybantsa as the most likely No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA draft in an anonymous poll of 20 NBA executives and scouts,” wrote Chiari. “In the poll conducted by ESPN’s Jeremy Woo, 12 execs and scouts predicted Peterson to go first overall next year, while the other eight picked Dybantsa.”
AJ Dybantsa #3 of Prolific Prep of Napa Christian poses for a portrait after their game against Accelerated Prep at Napa Valley College on February 25, 2024.
Peterson has been a notorious riser in big boards for months now, and he will most likely go back and forth with Dybantsa throughout the course of their seasons.
Even so, regardless of who gets the nod at No. 1 and who falls to No. 2, they look like two can’t-miss prospects, and whichever team gets them can’t go wrong with either of them.
