By all appearances, BYU basketball product and consensus All-American AJ Dybantsa will most likely become the number-one overall pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, no matter which team's lottery numbers get called. From the Washington Wizards at the bottom of the scrap heap, to the Charlotte Hornets, who are more upset to have missed the Playoffs than hopeful to jump in the draft order, Dybantsa is too tantalizing a prospect to pass up with the first pick.
He's Clark Kent, muscle-wrapped and positively bursting through his button-up behind his comparatively tiny, tiny desk at the Daily Universe. Your disguise fools noone, AJ, we can all tell that you're superhuman the moment you set foot onto the basketball court. Dybantsa is elastic as he slips through and bends around his helpless opposition to get to his Double Dribble-esque hotspots at the free throw line and short corner.
He makes his teammates better, utilizing his gravity to create opportunities like comets accelerating as it whips through its orbit near the sun. Dybantsa is a player that you build around. A player you rely on. A player who can deliver your franchise to the promised land.
Different teams have different needs, and by extension, different teams can better utilize AJ Dybantsa than others, and that's what this article is all about. If AJ had the chance to choose which of these lottery hopefuls gets to walk away with the number-one pick, who would he likely choose, and why? This is why we're here. This is why you've likely already scrolled past my introduction and straight to the list.
Top NBA Draft Lottery destinations for AJ Dybantsa
4. Utah Jazz
It's the worst-kept secret in the basketball world that Utah would take AJ first overall if given the chance. Ryan Smith has been instrumental in getting AJ to BYU, and would cry tears of joy if Utah winds up with Dybantsa on draft night. And Dybantsa is on record that he loves living in Utah, as he did for his senior season of high school and through his freshman year in Provo.
But in all honesty, the space for AJ on the Jazz is a bit iffy compared to other possibilities. With Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr, and Walker Kessler stuffing the frontcourt, AJ's place would be as a shooting guard in place of the rapidly-improving Ace Bailey. Is too much talent a good problem to have? For sure, but it can still become a problem if handled incorrectly.
The Utah Jazz are on an upward trajectory, now with young players blossoming into legitimate NBA contributors. In truth, they're likely best off by simply taking the best player available, no matter the position (unless that player is Darius Acuff, the defenseless wonder who would only magnify Keyonte George's shortcomings).
3. Oklahoma City Thunder
May heaven and Earth move against this ever coming to be, but the reigning champions and NBA-best Oklahoma City Thunder technically have a lottery pick -- and therefore a shot at the number-one selection -- thanks to the hastiness of the Los Angeles Clippers. And though OKC is already a pre-established squad that kind of already has their own thing going, they'd happily bump a player like Lu Dort from the starting five in favor of a potential future MVP candidate like Dybantsa.
Dybantsa could become an NBA champion in year one alongside SGA, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren. Heaven forbid, the lottery gods could smite the land with some lottery luck.
2. Washington Wizards
If you believe in the power of internal player development, you believe in the Washington Wizards. They're still a bit of a conglomeration of young pieces that are still finding a way to work together, but Alex Sarr and Bub Carrington are fascinating pieces alongside Kyshawn George, Bilal Coulibaly, and Tre Johnson.
But much like the Jazz, Washington is itching to get started on the winning trail by the first game of the 2026-27 season after acquiring veterans Trae Young and Anthony Davis. If Davis still insists on playing power forward (if "Street Clothes" plays at all), Dybantsa will slot into the small forward spot rather comfortably. The Wizards become incredibly dangerous if they can pair their aging stars with a centerpiece of the future.
1. Indiana Pacers
Oh me, oh my, the possibilities of pairing Dybantsa up with constant playmaking nourishment courtesy of head chef Tyrese Haliburton, and the guidance of All-Star Pascal Siakam at power forward, the case could be made that Dybantsa's addition takes the Pacers from the second-worst record in basketball, to a top-5 team in the Eastern Conference standings, just like they were during last year's NBA Finals run.
Seriously, the inclusion of Dybantsa in Indiana is seamless, and while they still have some holes to fill before they're truly ready to compete, don't count them out from taking off ahead of schedule like San Antonio has since selecting Victor Wembanyama.
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