BYU Basketball Recruiting: Top Prospect Dybantsa Visits Cougars

AJ Dybantsa took his official visit to BYU this weekend. The consensus top player in the 2025 high school class will be the most coveted prospect of the cycle after the Boozer twins’ commitment to Duke. Dybantsa established himself as an elite scoring wing prospect after two dominant EYBL seasons and a strong start to his senior year for Utah Prep.

Dybantsa’s 22.6 points per game placed him fourth among all 17u EYBL players this last session playing with Oakland Soldiers. Adding onto his bucket-getting, Dybantsa added 2.6 assists and 6.4 rebounds per game, scoring on 59% true shooting, per Synergy He’s one of the country’s most explosive, versatile offensive options, creating shots for himself at all levels.

AJ Dybantsa’s Elite Scoring Profile

At 6’9 with a reported 6’11 wingspan, Dybantsa’s advantage creation rivals any wing prospect I’ve studied in depth at the high school level. He’s a nuclear athlete, winning with an elite first step, speed and vertical explosion. Dybantsa dunked the ball 54 times this past AAU season, leading all non-bigs I tracked by a significant margin. 

aj dybantsa’s advantage creation is up there with any high schooler i’ve ever watched. absurd blend of first step, veritcal pop, stride length, flexibility and handling skill

easily his most impressive/important trait fueling his special prospect status pic.twitter.com/MvXpYooz4v

— ben pfeifer (@bjpf_) September 26, 2024

With a 46.3% rim frequency, Dybantsa lives at the hoop when he chooses to. He finishes there at a 64.7% clip and draws fouls frequently. Elite advantage-creating wings tend to develop into legitimate star offensive options and Dybantsa is that.

Dybantsa pairs his driving excellence with some of the most impressive shotmaking flashes in the class. Dybantsa’s penchant for difficult, highlight-reel-worthy shots deflates his efficiency to 33.3% (28-84) from three this AAU season. He’s an excellent mid-range shot creator (37.7% on off-dribble twos) and shot a hearty 38% on his catch-and-shoot triples. 

His excellent touch allows Dybantsa to rise over defenders and nail NBA-style contested jumpers from all over the floor. At his height and vertical explosion on jumpers, few defenders at this level can truly bother and contest his shots. Dybantsa creates space for jumpers with long, powerful stepbacks and his dynamic change of direction handling. 

the off-dribble shotmaking from aj dybantsa is always so filthy pic.twitter.com/qKqOrHLNsb

— ben pfeifer (@bjpf_) October 16, 2024

When Dybantsa eventually plays with better teammates in a heavier off-ball role, his efficiency from deep should rise. His past stops (Prolific Prep, Oakland Soldiers) didn’t run much action to make Dybantsa’s life easier. 

Dybantsa’s Improvement Points

Dybantsa’s decision-making and passing will be the main questions that determine his ultimate ceiling. Posting a 0.92 assist-to-turnover ratio this season, Dybantsa often favored tough pull-up jumpers and drives over easier passes. This is a fairly common trait of high-volume high-school-aged scorers, though. It’s understandable that Dybantsa would rely on his own shotmaking over his teammates, and many players learn to make better decisions as they age.

His processing speed and feel for passing do leave some questions unanswered, though. From a live dribble, Dybantsa can read moving parts on the floor slowly, leading to turnovers and misses passing windows. Defenses will send help and doubles to slow down Dybantsa as a scorer, so his development as a playmaker off of those plays will be key for his ceiling as an eventual primary initiator.

here’s a good example of aj dybantsa’s processing limitations that give me some concern, he’s reading the game a beat or two slow from a live dribble

still a phenomenal prospect but the feel Qs are ceiling limiters to me for now, at least compared to boozer/flagg pic.twitter.com/TiEOH1AwLV

— ben pfeifer (@bjpf_) September 16, 2024

Dybantsa’s elite physical tools suggest a high defensive upside, as we’ve seen flashes of overwhelming on-ball defense and swarming off-ball defense. When Dybantsa locks in, he’ll sit down and slide his feet better than most 6’9 wings.

aj dybantsa’s defense looks much improved from eybl, he’s sliding better, footwork is cleaner, the hips are moving fluidly and he’s staying in front of drivers

his energy and intensity overall are impressive (especially in a bad scoring game like this one) pic.twitter.com/QeHAYBSDhq

— ben pfeifer (@bjpf_) March 18, 2024

He’s a solid events creator, averaging nearly two stocks (steals + blocks) per game in EYBL. The off-ball defensive feel and awareness are inconsistent, though. Dybantsa will fall asleep at times off of the ball, losing shooters and cutters on the weak side. He can struggle to fight and chase through screens, limiting his matchups against smaller players.

AJ Dybantsa’s long-term Outlook

Even if Dybantsa never develops into a bonafide elite defensive player, his physical tools raise his floor on that end significantly. Dybantsa shouldn’t need star-level defensive impact if his offense translates the way we think it should. Betting on Dybantsa’s athletic gifts to eventually mold into defensive impact would be wise.

BYU basketball hasn’t rostered a player of Dybantsa’s caliber in my lifetime. Unlike Jimmer Fredette-type college stars, Dybantsa will spend just one season in Provo before leaping to the pros, and he’ll likely be one of the best players in the country for his one season. Dybantsa’s presence would surely attract other high-profile prospects to play with him for the Cougars.

AJ Dybantsa is one of the clear best prospects in the world outside of the NBA. He along with the likes of Cooper Flagg, Cameron Boozer and Darryn Peterson could end up defining college and pro landscapes for the near and far future. Dybantsa would almost certainly be BYU’s first top-five pick since Shawn Bradley in 1993 and Mel Hutchins in 1951.

Programs will push their chips in for Dybantsa as the season continues until he eventually makes his college decisions. If it ends up being the Cougars, Dybantsa is the caliber of player to alter the direction of a program.