AJ Dybantsa made his NBA Summer League debut Thursday night in Las Vegas and did exactly what you want the No. 1 pick to do, win the individual battle, win the game and leave the crowd wanting more.
Dybantsa scored 27 points and grabbed seven rebounds in 26 minutes as Washington beat Utah 92-88, outdueling No. 2 pick Darryn Peterson who finished with 24 points of his own.
The Thomas and Mack Center had a different energy than a typical summer league game.
Anthony Davis, Trae Young, Cooper Flagg and Jalen Williams were all courtside.
They came to see the two picks who will define this draft class. Dybantsa gave them a show, driving, dunking with two hands through contact and flexing after, before leaving late with leg soreness he said is fine.
Neither prospect shot it particularly well from three, they went a combined 2-for-12 from beyond the arc, but the flashes were unmistakable. Dybantsa's athleticism, his left hand, his ability to create in traffic.
Peterson's shot creation, his fadeaway from 24 feet on his first make, his toughness despite eight turnovers.
Peterson had beaten Dybantsa three times before, twice in high school, once in college.
Dybantsa was aware. "Every time I play him, it's a great setting," he said. "He got the best of me three times. I just wanted to come out on top."
He did. Round 1 goes to Washington.