If the NBA’s lottery teams were hoping AJ Dybantsa would make their rebuilding plans easy, they may need to adjust their timelines. The 19-year-old BYU freshman and projected No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA draft is not just performing at an elite level — he is genuinely enjoying himself on campus, and by all indications, he is not in any particular rush to move on.
Dybantsa is currently leading the entire nation in scoring with 25.3 points per game while also pacing the Cougars in rebounding at 6.7 per game. He has co-led BYU in minutes played this season — a remarkable feat for a freshman — and the team is heading into March Madness with its star still fully invested in the college experience.
A fitness foundation built at BYU
One of the more underappreciated aspects of Dybantsa’s freshman season has been his durability. Playing heavy minutes throughout the year, the 6-foot-9 forward has stayed healthy while maintaining a high level of output — a testament, he has explained, to the infrastructure BYU has built around its athletes.
The program provides players with access to athletic trainers, massage therapists and physical therapists, as well as strength and conditioning coaches who balance pushing players hard with keeping their bodies intact over a long season. Dybantsa has also benefited from wearable tracking technology — devices attached to practice gear that monitor movement and heart rate in real time — giving him a detailed, data-driven picture of his own physical output that he did not have access to during his high school years. The information has been eye-opening, revealing that even when he feels like he is working at his absolute limit, there is often still more in the tank.
Hitting the freshman wall — and pushing through
For all his polish, Dybantsa has not been immune to the challenges that come with the jump to Division I basketball. He has acknowledged hitting the dreaded freshman wall, describing a stretch of difficult practices early in the summer and fall that, fortunately for him, were not broadcast publicly. Rather than letting those rough patches become a spiral, he leaned on film study and the guidance of his coaching staff to work through it.
Advice from NBA rookies — players he grew up competing alongside — reinforced the same message: keep going, no matter what. That perspective helped him push through the rough stretch and emerge with his confidence intact heading into the regular season.
Family, focus and the full college experience
Part of what has made BYU work so well for Dybantsa is the presence of his family nearby. His father relocated from the Boston area to Utah to support him through high school, and the rest of his family has since joined. Having his parents accessible for home-cooked meals, guidance and everyday support has provided a grounding influence during a period of enormous public attention. His younger sister, who plays volleyball in Utah, has added another anchor to his life outside of basketball.
On campus, Dybantsa has embraced the social side of college life, bonding with teammates through shared meals and off-court activities. He remains undecided on a major, working through general education requirements for now, with the plan to declare a field of study down the road.
One goal above everything else
Despite the constant speculation about his NBA future, Dybantsa has kept his focus remarkably clear. Winning a national championship at BYU remains his stated priority, with the belief that everything else — draft position, professional contracts, long-term legacy — will take care of itself if the Cougars can cut down the nets. Heading into the final stretch of his freshman season, his confidence in that mission remains absolute.
Source: Men’s Health