This was supposed to be the first chapter of the 2026 draft story. Instead, it already felt like a statement. AJ Dybantsa walked into Thomas & Mack Arena and did exactly what a No. 1 overall pick is meant to do: take over, tilt the game his way, and leave everyone else chasing the headline.
And if the point of Bulls Summer League is to see whether the hype survives contact with actual basketball, Dybantsa gave a pretty loud answer. He scored 27 points in his debut, outduelled Darryn Peterson in the most watched No. 1-versus-No. 2 meeting of the summer, and helped the Washington Wizards beat the Utah Jazz 92-88. Close game, loud stage, clear winner.
Peterson was hardly invisible. He finished with 24 points and made sure the Jazz were never simply rolled over. But this night belonged to Dybantsa, and not just because of the scoring total. It belonged to the way he kept getting to the rim, kept forcing the issue, and kept looking like a player who understood that the first rule of a top-pick debut is to set the tone before anyone else does.
Dybantsa looked the part immediately
The 6-foot-9 frame, the physical edge, the willingness to attack the paint — it all showed up. Dybantsa said it felt good to get out there and do more of the same after summer practices, and that was the story in a nutshell. He was not floating around waiting for the game to come to him. He was hunting it.
There was even a moment that summed up the evening perfectly: he turned the corner, saw the lane, and finished with a dunk after being fouled twice. That is not flashy theatre. That is a player deciding the defense has already lost the argument.
The crowd reaction around the No. 1 vs. No. 2 storyline only sharpened the mood. These games are not about polished team chemistry or deep tactical reading at this stage. They are about hierarchy. And right now, the early hierarchy is simple enough: Dybantsa was the best scorer on the floor, and he looked comfortable carrying that label.
Peterson lost the battle, but not the long game
Darryn Peterson had enough in this one to remind people why he went No. 2. He scored 24 points, and he was honest enough afterward to frame the duel correctly: if someone goes ahead of you in the draft, that is fuel. He said it should drive him to be better, and he also made clear this is not the last time these two will meet.
That is the right attitude, because this was not some crushing separation. The Jazz even pushed back in the second half, with Cody Williams leading a comeback attempt and Ace Bailey on the bench acting as a player’s coach. For a while, the game had the feel of something that could still swing.
But the last word still went to the Wizards. That matters. Not because Summer League results are destiny — they are not — but because close games often tell you who was more comfortable imposing himself when the score tightened. Dybantsa was. Peterson was good, but Dybantsa was the one who looked like the player everyone had come to see.
One game does not settle a draft class. That would be silly. But one debut can absolutely tell you whether the top pick is ready for the noise that comes with being the top pick. On that front, Bulls Summer League got what it came for: a 27-point opening act, a 92-88 finish, and a reminder that Dybantsa is not planning to wait around for anyone’s approval.
