NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� 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.
鈥淥bviously this night is just a celebration of all the hard work I鈥檝e done in the past, and so now I鈥檓 going to celebrate,鈥� 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.
鈥淚 think down the road we can continue to do this,鈥� Dybantsa said. 鈥淭hey 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.鈥�
At 6-foot-9 and 217 pounds, Dybantsa has drawn comparisons to Kevin Durant, who happens to be his favorite player. Durant grew up in the Washington area, and Wizards fans can only hope Dybantsa can live up to the comparisons.
They certainly hope he will be better than center Kwame Brown, the pick Washington made in 2001, the first time it had the No. 1 selection after the NBA changed draft formats to eliminate territorial picks in 1966. The Wizards took John Wall in 2010 the other time, and he did turn into an All-Star.
Dybantsa 鈥� who was called by his full name, Anicet Dybantsa Jr., in tribute to his father 鈥� appeared to say a quick prayer after his name was announced, then went on stage to greet Commissioner Adam Silver and slipped on a black Wizards hat that matched nicely with his black suit.
Dybantsa beat out fellow freshman Darryn Peterson of Kansas, who was taken at the No. 2 pick by Utah. While some thought Peterson had the most talent in the class, the guard missed 11 games during the season because of injuries and illness, potentially creating some questions that Dybantsa didn’t have.
Cameron Boozer, the college player of the year in his one season at Duke, was taken at No. 3 by Memphis. Caleb Wilson, another freshman forward from rival North Carolina, went to Chicago with the next pick.
Those players were the expected top four throughout the pre-draft process, though there was certainly a case for Peterson to go first with his promise. Or for Boozer, with his body of work after he put up 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game for Duke, where his father, Carlos, also played before becoming a two-time NBA All-Star.
The uncertainty was expected to begin at No. 5. The Los Angeles Clippers acquired the rights to it after a trade with the Indiana Pacers and used it on Illinois guard Keaton Wagler. The host Brooklyn Nets then went with Louisville guard Mikel Brown Jr.
Michigan’s men make their mark
Darius Acuff Jr. to Sacramento at No. 7 and Kingston Flemings to Atlanta at No. 8 continued the run of scoring guards before Dallas went back to the bigs 鈥� and created a reunion in the process 鈥� by taking Morez Johnson Jr. from Michigan. Johnson was congratulated by national champion Michigan teammates Yaxel Lendeborg and Aday Mara, who were also in the green room, and then hugged his old and new coach. on the eve of the draft.
Lendeborg and Mara didn’t have to wait long for their turn. The Golden State Warriors took Lendenborg with the No. 11 pick and the Oklahoma City Thunder followed by going for the 7-3 Mara.
鈥淲e got our ultimate goal of winning the national championship and we just got drafted together, all lottery picks,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淚鈥檓 proud of my brothers, and I鈥檓 very excited to see what our future has for us.鈥�
Cheers for the New Yorkers, but not for the Spurs
The draft is always a celebration, when all teams have hope, but the cheers seemed even more frequent than usual. They began when Silver opened his remarks by hailing the NBA champion Knicks and NBA Finals MVP Jalen Brunson, with a number of fans in Barclays Center wearing Knicks jerseys. Nets fans, who endured a miserable season watching the home team in the arena, applauded the selection of Brown, who had a 45-point performance to highlight his season that was cut short by a back injury.
Beyond some brief jeers for Silver that pro sports commissioners often get at the start of their drafts, there weren’t any until it was announced that the San Antonio Spurs, who lost to the Knicks in the finals, were on the clock. Loud boos broke out that continued when it was announced that the Spurs took forward Jayden Quaintance, who played in just four games for Kentucky last season because of a knee injury.
The Milwaukee Bucks, who are losing two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, picked up two rookies. They took Arizona guard Brayden Burries with the No. 10 pick and are acquiring the rights to Tennessee forward Nate Ament, who was taken at No. 13 by Miami but is part of the package the Heat are sending to Milwaukee in the trade for Antetokounmpo that was agreed to Monday.
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