BYU product and the newest member of the Washington Wizards, AJ Dybantsa, was touted as the obvious number-one pick in the months leading up to the NBA Draft. And the Wizards followed suit, opting to take the 6'9" offensive annihilator with a refined skill set, unteachable size, and an equally unteachable understanding of how to put that basketball through the cylinder.
He's one of the best prospects that the NBA Draft has seen in a while after leading the NCAA in points per game and piling nearly the entire BYU basketball program on his back in an effort that pushed the Cougars through two rounds in the Big 12 Conference Tournament and to the pinnacle of a 6-seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Leadership, confidence, size, and talent make for a first-overall pick, and those checkboxes earned AJ his spot at the top of the draft board.
So can someone explain to me how Cameron Boozer, the third overall pick, is the favorite to be the Rookie of the Year?
AJ Dybantsa has the 2nd best odds to win NBA Rookie Of The Year per Draft Kingshttps://t.co/oyjq0AMXSs pic.twitter.com/65JUfevQvv
— Cougar Sports Media (@CougSportsMedia) June 30, 2026
According to FanDuel, AJ Dybantsa has +300 odds to be the 2027 Rookie of the Year. Boozer, the National Player of the Year in college basketball last season, is +240.
I believe there are two key factors that feed into Boozer's class-high odds to bring home some hardware after his inaugural season.
The first is analytics. Boozer is reportedly the number-one prospect in this year's draft class, even above Dybantsa and Peterson, the two players selected above him in the order. While numbers don't mean everything -- especially compared to the value of a win, who cares if the loser had good stats -- they're a helpful indicator for an award like this, where the quality of a team doesn't necessarily boost a player's chances of winning, unlike the MVP award, which typically is awarded to the best player on the league's best team.
Kind of a goofy way to transition into my second point: team situation. AJ Dybantsa is joining a team with two All-Stars in Anthony Davis and Trae Young. He'll have to share the ball much more than Boozer will in Memphis, and that means comparatively less impressive stats, at least in theory.
The odds are one thing, but proving worth on the court is another. In the case of AJ Dybantsa, BYU fans already know what he can do when given a chance.
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