Who’s The NBA Comparison For BYU Signee AJ Dybantsa?
Dec 10, 2024, 5:33 PM | Updated: Dec 11, 2024, 1:19 pm
PROVO, Utah – BYU basketball signee AJ Dybantsa is a superstar prospect.
The 6-foot-9 wing, raised near Boston, is projected as the potential No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
On Tuesday, Dybantsa made it public that he has signed with BYU. That means Dybantsa will be continuing his basketball career under the direction of BYU head coach Kevin Young.
Whenever discussing a blue-chip prospect like Dybantsa, the comparisons to pros are always a conversation.
During Dybantsa’s public announcement on ESPN’s First Take, Shannon Sharpe asked him who in the NBA he models his game after.
#BYU signee AJ Dybantsa on the NBA players he patterns his game after. 👀 #BYUHoops #GoCougs pic.twitter.com/R9JOlIXIgH
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) December 10, 2024
Dybantsa paid some respect to the past and also pointed to a superstar in today’s NBA.
AJ Dybantsa compares himself to Tracy McGrady and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
“I play like a mix of Tracy McGrady and Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander],” Dybantsa said on ESPN’s First Take.
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Dybantsa’s father, Ace, sees LeBron James in his son, who turns 18 in January.
“He plays more like, to me, LeBron. Because he does everything–he can be a playmaker; he can score, play defense, rebound, although his rebounding needs some work,” said Ace Dybantsa.
Who in the NBA does Kevin Young see in AJ Dybantsa?
Young has worked with some of the best players in the league, including Dybantsa’s favorite player, Kevin Durant.
According to Dybantsa in his “First Take” segment, Durant gave Kevin Young “high praise” when the newest BYU signee was going through his recruitment.
Kevin Young’s NBA comps for Dybantsa
Young sees T-Mac and SGA in Dybantsa’s game but also has other comparisons.
“I think parts of his game resemble a lot of the great players [in the NBA],” Young said on Dybantsa. “Defensively, he reminds me of Paul George, who I’ve gone up against in playoff battles and seen him up close.
“Some of [Dybantsa’s] passing is LeBron-like. Similar to Egor [Demin], he can dart passes, kind of crosscourt passes, and things like that. He’s a mix of a lot of different guys. But I like his confidence. He goes out there and just tries to be himself. He’s not trying to really be anybody else.
“The thing I love most about his game is that he really does try to play the game the right way. For a guy who’s as highly touted as he is, there are times when I would go to games, and I would almost want him to be even more aggressive, looking to score. But he really does try to play the game the right way. Most of the great players that I’ve been around, that’s a commonality amongst all of those players.”
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.
