The Washington Wizards haven't made AJ Dybantsa a part of the team yet, but that hasn't stopped the projected top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft from making plans about his first year in the DMV.
All signs point to Dybantsa hearing his name called at No. 1 overall in a couple of weeks, and unless the Wizards land a blockbuster offer from a desperate team, the BYU standout will be calling Washington home for the foreseeable future.
Dybatsa has all the tools to be a future MVP in the league and a day one starter next season, but how fast he's able to help the Wizards rise from the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings is unknown.
If you ask Dybantsa, though, it feels like the playoffs are a realistic year one goal, and based on his recent exchange with New Orleans Pelicans guard Jeremiah Fears, both players have the postseason in mind for next season.
AJ Dybantsa is already eyeing the playoffs
of his experience at both the NBA Draft Lottery and NBA Combine offered plenty of insight into the projected top pick's experience over the last couple of months.
Nonetheless, one clip in specific should have Wizards' fans excited about what's to come next year.
In an exchange with Fears, Dybantsa suggested that if he's in D.C. next season, the Pelicans' playmaker has to make sure they're in the playoffs.
AJ Dybantsa to Jeremiah Fears:
— WizardsMuse (@WizardsMuse1) June 10, 2026
"If I go to DC and make the playoffs, y'all got to make it... I'm going to make sure I make it"
AJ bringing us to the playoffs 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/rKbosS5Vor
Fears immediate response to the incoming rookie was "Y'all gotta make," referincing the Wizards.
Dybantsa's confidence didn't waver, with him immediately saying "I'm gonna make sure I make it."
Obviously, the Wizards have a ways to go to punch their ticket to the playoffs, especially considering how difficult it'll be to go from the top pick to a postseason berth, but the San Antonio Spurs have laid down a blueprint that the team could very well follow.
Beyond that, though, the confidence from Dybantsa to already be talking about the playoffs and directly saying he'll make sure to make it only shows what type of talent Washington is set to draft.
To be 19, coming into a league full of All-NBA talents, even some of the most talented players in the league who have yet to make a playoff run of their own, and have the confidence that your presence alone can completely alter a franchise, is major.
Regardless of what's really to come, Dybantsa's unwavering confidence proves exactly why he's the player the franchise has desperately been missing.
