BYU basketball faced plenty of disappointment during the 2025-26 season, but freshman superstar AJ Dybantsa lived up to the bill and then some.
After a preseason hype train that quickly derailed thanks to several key injuries and a shallow depth chart, BYU basketball slipped from a national title contender and top-10 squad in the AP poll to the 10th-seeded program in the Big 12 Conference tournament and a first-round exit in the NCAA Tournament against 11-seed Texas (who made a bit of a run, beating 3-seed Gonzaga in the Round of 32, but still).
It was a cataclysmic fall from grace, and one that BYU fans won't soon forget. But AJ Dybantsa, the reason behind all the hype, lived up to his reputation in every measurable way.
Our D.A. Sweat caught this screenshot of a recent CBS Sports broadcast, highlighting just how magnificent Dybantsa was in his lone season of college basketball.
Check out this graphic about BYU’s AJ Dybantsa from CBS Sports:
— Diggin’ Brigham (@DigginBrigham) June 2, 2026
First freshman in D1 history to average 25 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists.
AJ’s going to be an NBA MVP one day… pic.twitter.com/aGgTyfe3pi
It was well-documented that Dybantsa led the nation in points per game as a freshman -- it was the primary point of his National Player of the Year platform before Duke's freshman phenom, Cameron Boozer, ultimately won the award. AJ said himself that he could have scored 30 per night if he really wanted to. But Dybantsa's impact was felt well beyond the scoring column.
He pulled in 6.8 rebounds per game as a small forward, which was 15th-best among freshmen of any position in the nation this season. His 6'9" frame certainly contributed to that number, but rebounding is about effort and positioning -- neither of which could be compromised to haul in nearly 7 boards per night.
Most impressively to me -- besides leading the entire nation in points, of course -- are AJ's assist averages. 3.7 assists aren't much at face value, especially when compared to some of the assist farmers in the NBA like Trae Young, Tyrese Haliburton, and James Harden, but taking into account AJ's position (not the primary ball handler/distributor) and his scoring load, Dybantsa was a one-man offensive engine for Kevin Young's team in 2026.
No freshman had ever averaged 25 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists. Ever. That is until AJ Dybantsa, the anomaly, took college basketball by storm.
There's no surprise here that he's widely projected as a top-2 lock in this year's NBA Draft -- he might be one of the best players in the world right now. I said it.
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