Assuming the Washington Wizards decide to take BYU star AJ Dybantsa with the number-one pick -- because honestly, who wouldn't -- this potential NBA superstar could have his development severely stunted thanks to one man. Trae Young.
Trae Young's value both as a teammate and an engine for winning basketball games has been a curious case study throughout his career. Part of a draft-night trade between the Atlanta Hawks and the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for one Luka Doncic (heard of him?), Young has made a reputation for being a 20-and-10 factory (that's points and assists, respectively).
He's averaged 25.1 points and 9.8 dimes per contest through his 7-year professional career, and was most recently brought into the nation's capital at the trade deadline. His addition was half of the Wizards' double-pronged veteran injection experiment with Anthony Davis -- another fortunate participant in a trade for Doncic.
If AJ Dybantsa joins Washington on draft night, he'll slot into a starting lineup with Young, Davis, young center Alex Sarr, and Kyshawn George. On the surface, that's a very attractive team to begin your professional career alongside. When explored deeper, however, the partnership with Young (and Davis, to a lesser extent) could end up stunting Dybantsa's development, limiting his freedom on the offensive end, and forcing the new franchise cornerstone, well, off to the corner.
Colin Cowherd, who often makes sensational takes for attention like the rest of the major sports media, made a strong point against Dybantsa's fit with Washington during his show the other day.
"When [Victor Wembanyama] came to the Spurs, or Ant[hony Edwards] to the T-Wolves, or Cooper Flagg to the Dallas Mavericks, they were the centerpiece of everything," Cowherd set up during a segment of The Herd. "AJ Dybantsa is going to go to the Wizards, presumably, and he's going to play with Trae Young, who's hard to play with."
"He is a creator and an innovator. He needs the ball in his hands a lot. And you're not going to have the ball in your hands a lot with Trae Young, who just clogs up an offense."@colincowherd debates if AJ Dybantsa is a good fit with the Wizards pic.twitter.com/zCO4fxiMFH
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) May 12, 2026
AJ Dybantsa's situation is unlike most young stars entering the NBA, who typically join down-on-their-luck organizations as a savior figure, touted as the man capable of lifting their team from the dregs of the NBA. Washington, with their recent acquisition of two former All-Stars and a gelling core of young talent, has the opportunity to add Dybantsa to a team that already has direction.
But whether or not that direction is conducive to Dybantsa's growth as a player is another question.
AJ Dybantsa works best with the ball in his hands. He's a creator; Dybantsa wants to dig up offense for himself and his teammates by initiating the offense and taking control of its flow. Trae Young's presence and history of ball-hogging tendencies muddies up the fit in Washington.
Young takes 18.3 shots per game -- which is many. A relic of the James Harden heliocentrism ideology, Young's assist totals have been inflated for much of his career thanks to pressure-release corner three-pointers. A great player by most metrics, Young's ball-dominant tendencies could keep the basketball out of Dybantsa's hands and damage the team's investment in the number-one overall pick.
As great as Dybantsa is as a prospect, he's not Kon Knueppel. AJ Dybantsa's offensive style shines not as a catch-and-shoot wing wasting away in the corner, but as a dynamic, moving piece -- or better yet, the locomotive behind the whole offensive operation.
Players like Trae Young can diminish the value and production of young players around them. Cowherd warned against conflating high assist numbers with being a great teammate. James Harden held Tyrese Maxey back. Trae Young held Jalen Johnson back in Atlanta. Unless AJ becomes the team's focus on day one, he could be stuck waiting in line for Trae Young to finally pass the ball around in Washington.
It would be a shame to waste Dybantsa's elite potential on a point guard who has yet to prove he can win at the highest level.
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