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AJ Dybantsa is on his way to Washington and ready to start working as soon as he gets there.
That’s not until Wednesday. Tuesday was a night for the NBA’s No. 1 draft pick to party.
“Obviously this night is just a celebration of all the hard work I’ve done in the past, and so now I’m going to celebrate,” Dybantsa said.
So were a record number of one-and-done college stars who followed him, a trio of national champions from Michigan and fans of both New York teams on what sounded like an even more festive NBA draft than usual.
The Wizards started it by selecting Dybantsa, a forward who led the nation in scoring in his one season at BYU. He averaged 25.5 points, highlighted by a 43-point effort that broke BYU’s freshman scoring record, and was the first of a record-tying eight straight college freshman taken to begin the draft.
That matched the record set last year. Morez Johnson Jr. at No. 9 was the first non-freshman.
“I think down the road we can continue to do this,” Dybantsa said. “They are comparing us to a certain amount of draft classes. Obviously we have to see how that plays out and how we do in the league, but if we talk it into existence, I think that would be pretty special.”