Brockton's AJ Dybantsa Drove Past James Harden on His First NBA Possession. Then He Dropped 19

Sixteen seconds. That's how long it took AJ Dybantsa to tell the NBA who he is. The Brockton native and No. 1 overall pick got the ball at the top of the key in his first possession Wednesday night, drove right past Cleveland's James Harden and was headed for a dunk when Jarrett Allen fouled him, NBC10 Boston reported. He made both free throws.

"I wanted my first basket to be a dunk so bad. I was telling my dad that, but I mean it's cool, got fouled," Dybantsa said.

He finished with a team-high 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting with two assists, two rebounds and two turnovers in 27 minutes, in a 121-111 Wizards loss to the Cavaliers. It's the most points by a Wizards rookie in his debut since Tom Gugliotta scored 20 against Charlotte in 1992, and it's tied for the fourth-most by any rookie in franchise history in a first game. His nine first-quarter points were the most by a Wizards rookie in a debut since at least 1996-97, according to Sportradar.

His first basket was an alley-oop off a crosscourt pass from Trae Young with 8:56 left in the first quarter. Washington took a 10-point lead into the fourth before Cleveland came back.

Dybantsa, who led the country at 25.5 points per game in his one season at BYU before going first in June's draft, missed the first four games with a sprained ankle. Coach Brian Keefe said 27 minutes was about where they wanted him. "I thought he was terrific," Keefe said. "You saw his ability to get to the basket, to make simple reads, great passing from him. I thought his defensive activity was terrific."

Even the guy who fouled him was impressed. "He scored from all three levels. He attacked the basket, mid-range, good defense as well. He did it all for a rookie," Allen said. Anthony Davis, one of three former No. 1 picks on Washington's roster along with Deandre Ayton, said he told Dybantsa not to overthink it. "He seemed like he was very calm, cool and collected," said Davis, who scored 18.

Dybantsa said he had butterflies until the free throws dropped. After that, it felt like another game. His family made the trip to Cleveland.

Dez's take: Brockton's got a No. 1 pick who attacks Harden on possession one. The Wizards are 2-3 after starting last season 1-15, which is a different universe. The kid didn't shrink, and in this league that's the whole first test.

What we still don't know: how the ankle holds up as his minutes go up, and when the Wizards come to Boston.