AJ Dybantsa was back, and the No. 1 overall pick wasted no time showing why the Wizards had been waiting for him. After missing the first four games with a sprained ankle, he made his NBA debut Wednesday night against the Cavaliers and scored 19 points in a loss.
The debut gave searchers what they wanted from the Aj Dybantsa stats line right away: nine points in the first quarter, 3-for-3 shooting to open the game and his first 3-pointer before the period ended. He finished 8-for-12 from the field with two rebounds and two assists, a clean scoring night even though the result went the other way.
Dybantsa started alongside Trae Young, Anthony Davis, Alex Sarr and Kyshawn George as the Wizards rolled out a new-look lineup for the start of the season. That mattered because Washington had opened 2-2 without him, then got the burst it had been missing from the top of the draft board once he finally stepped onto the floor.
What made the night more striking is how rare that scoring total is for a Wizards rookie making a debut. His 19 points were the most by a Wizards rookie in a first game since Tom Gugliotta scored 20 on Nov. 2, 1992 against the Charlotte Hornets. The Wizards acknowledged the moment before tipoff with a post that said, in effect, there would be no more waiting for AJ.
The cleanest read on this debut is simple: Dybantsa looked ready immediately, but his return did not change the final outcome. Washington got the scoring jolt it wanted, yet the Cavaliers still left with the win, and the next question is how long the Wizards can keep him in the lineup after he has already missed a quarter of the season.
