How BYU's AJ Dybantsa fares against competition for the number-one NBA draft pick

AJ Dybantsa is good at basketball. Great, even.

He proved it during his high school days at Utah Prep, earning a top-2 ranking in his high school recruiting class according to every recruiting site around. He certainly proved it during his freshman campaign at BYU, where he led the nation in scoring and became a consensus All-American despite Kevin Young's program having been tattered by injuries throughout the season.

According to the basketball gurus, monks, and hedonistic experts with a pulse on the National Basketball Association, AJ Dybantsa should be the number-one overall selection this summer when Adam Silver takes the stage to open the drafting festivities.

Standing at 6'9", with the seasoned, refined scoring palette of a 29-year-old NBA veteran, the bendiness of Gumby, and the malleability of a Stretch Armstrong doll, Dybantsa used patience and creativity as his guides as he navigated the tumultuous, twisting seas of the toughest defenses that the NCAA-best Big 12 Conference had to offer. Never absent from a counter, or a counter-counter, Dybantsa is equal parts shifty, slippery, and powerful. He'll gladly fade away to knock down an effortless foul-stripe fadeaway on one play, and use that precedent as a weapon, pump-faking, pirouetting, and delicately flipping the ball through the basket as his defenders furiously attempt to untie their knotted knees. And if elegance isn't on the menu, he's been known to punch volcanic slams through the cylinder, inconsiderate of whoever is in range of the impending blast.

The cream of the NBA Draft comes down to four major candidates: AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer, and Caleb Wilson. Typically in that order, with the first two names the only serious considerations for the number-one overall pick. From 5-60, NBA franchises could go just about anywhere -- eyes up here, fellas.

So here's where I see these top prospects, how I feel they compare to one another, and why each of them could (or could not) rise up the order.

The top 4 prospects in the 2026 NBA Draft have entered the Thunderdome

1. AJ Dybantsa, Rating: Obvious Favorite

Dybantsa has it all, and he proved that during his freshman year at BYU. He's got the height, length, IQ, and talent of an All-NBA superstar, and the scoring diet of a 8-year veteran before he's even lived two decades on this blue marble that we call home. He can create for himself, he can create for his teammates. He's unstoppable when he gets to his spots, and equal parts effective when forced to get creative with the ball in his hands.

This is why most NBA executives see AJ as the obvious pick at this point in the draft -- he's the prototypical All-World wing that most franchises would sell their souls, kidneys, and half a liver to acquire even if for only one year. And better yet, he has a great head on his shoulders, naturally leads by example, and avoids any controversy. Who better to move into the future with?

2. Darryn Peterson, Rating: The Hipsters Are Right

Though it's the sort of off-beat, funky viewpoint to declare that you'd prefer Peterson over Dybantsa number-one overall, there is plenty of merit to the Jayhawk phenom's NBA prospects. In my eyes, when it comes to score-first guards, you don't get many better prospects than Peterson. Period.

Of the Kyrie Irving model, Peterson is an effortless scorer whose movements makes everyone else look like they're playing on x0.75 speed -- the opposite of how I viewed most of my college lectures. His shooting stroke is one fluid, repeatable motion. His dribble moves are quick, decisive, snappy. And when he elevates -- oh baby, when he elevates -- the angels sing, the birds soar, and children everywhere stop weeping if only for a moment.

But there are concerns about his competitive drive, injury history, and apparent decline in athleticism from his high school tape to his freshman season. A red herring, or sincere cause for pause? That question bumped him down to 2.

3. Cameron Boozer, Rating: The Boring, If Obvious Choice

To be completely frank here, Cameron Boozer is almost a sure-fire success at the next level, if not one that will keep the fans in their seats more often than not. Allow me to explain.

There's no pep to Boozer. No pop, either. As a hooper whose highlight reel is more fundamental than flash, Boozer almost arrives on the scene as a Tim Duncan type in that regard. But unlike Duncan, Boozer is a sniper from three-point range.

Where he lacks in pure athleticism, Boozer makes up in spades with smart, winning basketball. He's won at every level -- when his twin brother isn't freely offering UConn a second chance to reach the Final Four, that is -- and he's a key contributor in all of that. An excellent playmaker and shooter, Boozer finds ways to put the ball through the basket. But his limited athletic burst and mediocre size for a power forward makes him, well, boring. And we don't like boring.

4. Caleb Wilson, Rating: Sleeper Pick

He's the mystery box of the four. With immense size, length, and athletic pyrotechnics plentiful enough to set North Carolina ablaze, Caleb Wilson's promise makes him the most variable player in this list. In truth, it's not entirely unrealistic to imagine Utah taking a major swing at 2 -- Danny Ainge is a visionary -- or Washington making good on their promise to feel out the draft process and possibly trade down for the player they believe to be "their guy".

Wilson is raw compared to the three names above him, however, and he'll need to improve as a shooter and creator to reach his full potential.

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