Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins offers advice to Wizards’ AJ Dybantsa

AJ Dybantsa arrives in the NBA with plenty of hype as the No. 1 overall pick, and the rookie recently received advice from Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins on joining the Washington Wizards.

Dybantsa was a consensus first-team All-American at BYU, averaging 25.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.1 steals while shooting 33.1% from 3-point range. He led the country in scoring after totaling 894 points, the third-most by a freshman in history.

The 19-year-old recently joined Wilkins and Draymond Green for a live recording of the “Draymond Green Show” at Fanatics Fest in New York City. Green asked Wilkins how Dybantsa should ingratiate himself with the team, alongside the likes of Anthony Davis and Trae Young.

As a young man coming in, especially a guy who is highly sought after, you just got to come in and be yourself. You got to play one way all of the time, and that is to the best of your ability; you play all-out. You don’t have to go in trying to do too much. You let the game come to you, but at the same time, you got to have a little chip on your shoulder, which I already know you do.

You’re coming into a nice situation where you got veterans that are going to help you, show you the game and, hopefully, take you under their wing and try to teach you the right way early on because the more you learn early, the more your game will evolve a lot quicker.

As a young man coming in, especially a guy who is highly sought after, you just got to come in and be yourself. You got to play one way all of the time, and that is to the best of your ability; you play all-out. You don’t have to go in trying to do too much. You let the game come to you, but at the same time, you got to have a little chip on your shoulder, which I already know you do.

You’re coming into a nice situation where you got veterans that are going to help you, show you the game and, hopefully, take you under their wing and try to teach you the right way early on because the more you learn early, the more your game will evolve a lot quicker.

Dybantsa debuted with the Wizards in the NBA Summer League, averaging 25 points, seven rebounds, 2.5 steals, two assists and 1.5 blocks in two games. He tied with teammate Will Riley for the third-highest scoring average among all players in Las Vegas.

The 6-foot-9 forward dazzled in his nearly 51 total minutes on the court, utilizing his combination of size, physicality and athleticism to get to his spots. He also seemed to get in the paint at will, converting several tough finishes and throwing down highlight-reel dunks.

Dybantsa will benefit by playing with Davis and Young, along with the rest of the Wizards’ core, including Alexandre Sarr, Bub Carrington, Kyshawn George and Tre Johnson. He should be in store for a productive rookie campaign, while helping the Wizards turn things around on the court.