AJ Dybantsa is taking a bold approach to his pre-draft process, won't work out

I thought that Kansas product Darryn Peterson was taking a bold approach to the NBA Draft process when he followed up with his declaration of working out for just the top two teams in the order by announcing that he would only work out for the Washington Wizards. But when BYU star AJ Dybantsa shared in a recent podcast appearance that he hadn't worked out for any NBA teams, I have to say that's a solid return by the projected top pick.

"I didn't work out for [any teams]," Dybantsa shared with a shrug. "I just visitid the cities. [They'd] take me to the facility, take me to dinner, talk."

"I don't gotta workout; they know what I can do."

This contradicts earlier reports that shared how AJ's workout went perfectly with the Wizards, but I guess Dybantsa is a stronger source.

He makes a fair point, and this power move may have more strategy behind it than it may appear. On one hand, yes, it's very easy to search for AJ Dybantsa's film on YouTube. These NBA teams know what he brings on the court and can make their own decisions based on that. But the choice to avoid a physical workout is a calculated one. A strong workout doesn't boost his draft stock, but a poor one could tank it.

When jostling with Darryn Peterson down the home stretch, AJ Dybantsa should be taking variables out of the equation, not adding more uncertainty.

Those two players have dominated the top of the draft conversation for months, tracing all the way back to the beginning of the college basketball season. Two Big 12 foes dueling from within the same conference, Peterson took a screaming lead in the beginning of the process, and punctuated his case for the top selection when the pair met head-to-head in Lawrence, Kansas, and Peterson torched the Cougars in just one half.

It seemed like a done deal. But not how I mentioned Peterson had only played one half of that game -- there is the snag with the Jayhawks' star. Whether injured, cautious, or simply disinterested, Peterson missed a lot of playing time during his freshman season for mysterious reasons. Blame Bill Self, the Kansas conditioning staff, or Peterson himself, but there's no denying the fact that Peteson's sporadic availability pushed Dybantsa over the hill as BYU's star continued to improve his stats throughout the season.

There's no way to know who will come first off the board until Adam Silver makes it known, but in the meantime it's fascinating to get a peek into Dybantsa's pre-draft process.

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