On one hand, it’s unfortunate that Washington Wizards No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa (ankle) is unavailable to start the season.
Luckily, they have plenty of other players who can shine in the 19-year-old’s absence.
Fourth-year wing Bilal Coulibaly started instead of him in Wednesday’s season-opener, tallying 11 points (4-6 FG, 1-3 3-point) with two rebounds, four steals, two blocks and one assist over 29 minutes against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Sixth-year wing Justin Champagnie added eight points (3-4 FG, 1-2 3-point), eight rebounds and one assist across 21 minutes off the bench in the 128-116 home victory.
The 25-year-old also led Washington with a +17 plus/minus.
Plus, third-year guard Bub Carrington notched 10 points (3-6 FG, 2-3 3-point) with one rebound, four assists and two steals over 19 minutes.
Outside of Champagnie and Carrington, the Wizards shot 3-of-23 (13%) from deep.
All three of those players could see decreased playing time when Dybantsa returns.
The 6-foot-9, 217-pounder won’t play against the Toronto Raptors on Friday and is “day-to-day” with his sprained ankle, per Bullets Forever’s Greg Finberg.
It’ll be harder to beat Kawhi Leonard and company sans-Dybantsa than the rebuilding Bucks, but the bright side is that other players on a deep Wizards roster will get more chances.
AJ Dybantsa’s absence presents learning opportunity
Sarah Stier / Staff
Although Washington intends to build around Dybantsa long-term, it must determine its plans with other players.
For example, Coulibaly will hit restricted free agency next summer, when Carrington also becomes extension-eligible, and Champagnie has a $3 million team option.
Third-year center Alex Sarr and wing Kyshawn George are eligible for contract extensions next summer too, but they’re in safer standing as starters.
If Coulibaly, Carrington and Champagnie stay hot against a contending Raptors team on Friday, it’ll be hard to sacrifice their minutes when Dybantsa comes back.
The Wizards could sit veteran forward Khris Middleton, who logged two points (1-2 FG) and two rebounds over 12 minutes on Wednesday.
In addition, they could take a couple of minutes each from everyone else in the rotation.
Even then, that excludes 2025 No. 21 overall pick Will Riley, who didn’t play on Wednesday.
The 20-year-old averaged 10.3 points on 43.9% shooting (31.6% 3-point) with 2.9 rebounds and two assists across 22.1 minutes (74 games) as a rookie last year.
Basically, there’s no perfect way to divide minutes within the rotation, which is one of the best problems the Wizards have had in years.
After going 50-196 over the last three seasons, they’re now so deep that somebody will get left out.
Washington’s best bet is to ride the hot hand, whether that’s an undrafted player like Champagnie or a lottery pick like Coulibaly (2023 No. 7 overall pick), Carrington (2024 No. 14 pick) and Riley.
Friday’s game starts at 7pm in the nation’s capital, and the game will be broadcast on DAZN.
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