AJ Dybantsa has never been short on confidence. He heads into March Madness as the presumptive No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, with a résumé to back it up. The BYU freshman made his ambitions crystal clear on the Winning Formula podcast, and he wasn’t interested in being diplomatic about it.
AJ Dybantsa Sets Sights on No. 1 Pick as March Madness Begins
For a player who has been ranked the top prospect in the country since middle school, the question of where he wants to be drafted was never going to get a complicated answer.
“I think this is one of the best drafts in I don’t know how many years,” he said. “But I definitely want the No. 1 pick. I’ve been No. 1 my whole life. I’ve been No. 1 since 8th grade and I’m trying to keep that.”
For anyone who’s monitored Dybantsa’s growth this season, the mindset comes as no surprise. The 6-foot-9, 212-pound wing from Brockton, Massachusetts, is the nation’s leading scorer at 25.3 points per game.
This makes Dybantsa just the third freshman to lead the country in scoring since the NCAA began officially tracking statistics in the late 1940s.
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He has scored at least 20 points in 13 consecutive games, averaged 31 points across BYU’s three Big 12 Tournament games, and poured in a season-high 43 points in a win over rival Utah back in January.
In the Big 12 Tournament, he went out and broke the freshman scoring record previously held by Kevin Durant, finishing with 93 total points.
Around the league, the buzz surrounding Dybantsa is very real. Independent draft analyst Ben Pfeifer believes this class has genuine star power at the very top, describing it as one where the talent doesn’t drop off after the first name.
“It starts at the top with, I think, three MVP-level, No. 1-pick-caliber guys in Peterson, Dybantsa and Cameron Boozer,” Pfeifer said. “But then even as you go down there is a ton of quality depth.”
NBA executives have been equally effusive about what Dybantsa specifically brings to the table. “He’s got all the tools, he’s a dynamic scorer who will put up points in the NBA right away,” one veteran East executive said.
Texas head coach Sean Miller, whose Longhorns face BYU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, called Dybantsa a “generational talent” while being careful not to put a ceiling on what he could become.
“His size, mobility, skill level, his mindset of being able to be a smart player, make his teammates better, get to the foul line, how he gets to the foul line, makes it very difficult,” Miller said. “AJ is his own player.”
ESPN’s Jay Bilas echoed the sentiment. “I don’t think it’s hype with AJ Dybantsa. I think it’s factual,” Bilas said. “He’s made in a lab for the NBA. He’s got size and crazy length and a skill set that is transferable to the league right now.”
What separates Dybantsa from many of his peers isn’t just the talent; it’s the clarity of purpose. In an era when top recruits routinely command multi-million-dollar NIL deals, Dybantsa chose BYU for a different reason entirely. “My main goal is getting to the NBA,” he said ahead of Thursday’s game against Texas.
“I chose BYU because they have the resources to develop me and get me ready.” He was candid about the role money plays in others’ positions, while explaining why it wasn’t his primary consideration. “I come from a great background. My parents always provided. So for me, it wasn’t really about the money.”
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That single-mindedness is perhaps what makes his quote about the No. 1 pick land the way it does.
BYU enters the tournament as a No. 6 seed, and the Cougars have been dealt some injury setbacks down the stretch. But as long as Dybantsa is on the floor, they have a chance, and he knows it.
He’s been No. 1 since 8th grade. He intends to keep it that way.
