AJ Dybantsa of BYU will win the Wooden Award, just like Cooper Flagg of Duke did the previous year.
AJ Dybantsa, an incoming freshman at BYU, has the talent, team, and support to meet the high expectations that surround him as he travels to Provo. To add even more weight to that burden, I am one among the people who thinks he will be the nation’s best player and earn this year’s Wooden Award. This is the reason: In terms of generational talent, he is comparable to Cooper Flagg.
Cooper Flagg of Duke was the clear No. 1 overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft and recently received the Wooden Award for his outstanding play the previous season. As a jumbo wing, Flagg had outstanding shooting percentages and averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in his lone collegiate season. The fact that both AJ Dybantsa and Cooper Flagg are unstoppable 6-foot-9 wings who have long been referred to be “generational talent” is only one of their many similarities.
In head-to-head comparisons, Dybantsa and Flagg are frequently seen to be similarly talented. About half of NBA general managers would select Dybantsa over Flagg, according to an On3 story by ESPN’s Paul Biancardi. Biancardi is cited as saying, “When I talk to the NBA scouts, I think it’s 50/50 right now.” “One half would pick Cooper Flagg, and the other half would pick AJ Dybantsa.” Last year, Cooper Flagg was the clear winner of Player of the Year. AJ Dybantsa is talented enough to accomplish the same this year.
In Provo, Dybantsa is surrounded by the right people.
Situation is important when it comes to earning national player of the year. In Provo, AJ will be playing in the ideal setting.
Kevin Young is a skilled NBA talent developer. He coached Egor Demin, a former BYU standout who was just chosen with the eighth overall pick. Richie Saunders developed into an All-Big 12 First Team player and won the Big 12’s Most Improved Player award under Young’s guidance. Even though AJ Dybantsa is gifted by God, he still needs to improve as a player at the age of 18. That’s what Kevin Young and his NBA-caliber team will do.
Furthermore, Dybantsa’s teammates are ideal for showcasing and even improving his ability. Rob Wright, a transfer point guard from Baylor, is a superb floor general who leads the offence. Richie Saunders, who makes more than 40% of his 3-point attempts, is already among the top players in the Big 12. The ideal partner for pick-and-roll is Centre Keba Keita. A variety of other 3-point snipers will be positioned around Dybantsa by the Cougars, creating driving lanes for him to take advantage of.
The offensive capabilities of BYU might overwhelm opposition defences. At BYU, AJ Dybantsa is in a prime position to analyse defences.
BYU ought to contend for a national championship.
Because they play for unimportant teams, many talented college basketball players who put up impressive stats aren’t regarded as national player of the year contenders. The majority of Wooden Award recipients are part of national championship teams. This year, BYU ought to be one of the top teams in the country. The Cougars were recently ranked as the sixth-best team in the nation by ESPN, which is the same ranking that USA Today awarded Kevin Young’s team. BYU is ranked as the eighth-best team in the country by 247Sports. BYU is one of the top five teams according to CBS Sports that have the best chance of winning their school’s first-ever national championship.
AJ Dybantsa and the BYU Cougars are on the short list of national contenders, according to those who are familiar with college basketball. The Cougars should ultimately have tremendous success this season, and AJ Dybantsa will win the Wooden Award for the third time at BYU, following in the footsteps of Danny Ainge (1981) and Jimmer Fredette (2011).
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