AJ Dybantsa will have to wait to make his NBA regular-season debut.
Washington Wizards coach Brian Keefe ruled the No. 1 pick out of Wednesday’s home opener against the Milwaukee Bucks because of his ankle injury. Keefe said Dybantsa remains day-to-day beyond that game, leaving his debut date unsettled.
The decision follows an abbreviated preseason finale in New Orleans. Dybantsa rolled his ankle while landing from a running jumper Friday and headed to the locker room.
A team spokesman subsequently said that Washington held him out for the rest of the game as a precaution.
He finished with 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting in 15 minutes.
Dybantsa did some shooting Monday, Keefe said, but that progress has not translated into clearance for the opener. Washington’s approach had been cautious even before Tuesday’s ruling.
“We’re just going one day at a time,” Keefe said Sunday when asked whether Dybantsa would play Wednesday.
Tre Johnson filled Dybantsa’s spot in preseason finale
Keefe already tried one alternative after Dybantsa left Friday’s game: Tre Johnson opened the third quarter in his place.
That makes Johnson an option to watch against Milwaukee, although the preseason substitution does not establish who will start Wednesday.
The distinction matters for a Wizards team now preparing its opening lineup without the player it selected first in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Washington hosts Toronto on Friday. That gives Dybantsa another opportunity to debut at home if he is cleared, but Keefe’s day-to-day assessment should not be read as a commitment to that game.
