2026 NBA Mock Draft: BYU Freshman AJ Dybantsa Soars to Top of Way-Too-Early Lottery Projection
Provo, Utah — July 1, 2025
If there were any doubts that BYU could produce a No. 1 overall NBA Draft pick, freshman sensation AJ Dybantsa is already erasing them—before he’s even stepped onto the court in a Cougar uniform.
In ESPN’s way-too-early 2026 NBA mock draft released this week, the 6-foot-9 small forward from Brockton, Massachusetts has rocketed to the top of the projected lottery, slotted as the potential No. 1 overall pick. That’s right: a BYU freshman is drawing comparisons to Paul George, Jayson Tatum, and even a young Kevin Durant.
Dybantsa, who reclassified from the 2026 high school class to the 2025 class last year, stunned the college basketball world when he committed to BYU over blue-bloods like Duke, Kansas, and Kentucky. Critics questioned the decision. NBA scouts, it turns out, never blinked.
“He’s a pro—period,” one Western Conference scout told The Athletic. “Where he plays college ball doesn’t change that. His frame, his feel, his footwork… he’s the most complete wing prospect we’ve seen in years.”
After dominating the AAU circuit with Expressions Elite and starring for Prolific Prep in California, Dybantsa enrolled early at BYU this summer and is already turning heads in workouts. Standing 6’9″ with a 7’1″ wingspan, silky shooting mechanics, and explosive bounce, he fits the mold of the modern NBA wing—and then some.
“He’s one of one,” said BYU head coach Kevin Young, who joined the program in 2024 after years as an assistant with the Phoenix Suns. “The way he carries himself, the way he sees the game, the way he elevates others—it’s rare. And it’s real.”
Young’s NBA background was a major factor in Dybantsa’s decision. Sources close to the Dybantsa camp say the family valued not just playing time, but development. In Provo, Dybantsa will be the unquestioned focal point of the offense, with a coaching staff that speaks the NBA’s language.
Mock draft analysts are buying in.
“He’s not just a highlight machine,” said Jonathan Givony of ESPN. “AJ is a three-level scorer, he guards one through four, and he’s got that alpha gene. It’s early, but he’s tracking like a No. 1 pick.”
Dybantsa is expected to lead a BYU team that returns four starters and adds several high-upside transfers. Early projections have the Cougars as a top-25 team entering their second season in the Big 12.
While NBA scouts will pack the Marriott Center this season, Dybantsa remains unfazed.
“My focus is here,” he said after a team workout. “Winning at BYU, getting better every day, and being the best teammate I can be. Everything else will take care of itself.”
If the early signs are any indication, it already is.
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