It would be hard to believe that if Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith (BYU Booster) and President Danny Ainge (former BYU player) had a chance to pick AJ Dybantsa in the upcoming NBA draft, they would pass up that opportunity. The story would be too good, and ironically, he might be exactly what the Jazz need to take the next step.
AJ Dybantsa coud be the star the Jazz need to contend
AJ Dybantsa would be the dream draft pick for the Jazz. He played a portion of his high school career at Utah Prep, located in Hurricane, Utah. He then chose Brigham Young University (located in Provo, Utah) over perennial powerhouses like Kansas and North Carolina. For a player with so much potential and star power, he has repeatedly chosen Utah as a place to further his basketball career.
With fans growing accustomed to their star players choosing to leave Utah (think Gordon Hayward and, more recently, Donovan Mitchell), it would certainly be refreshing to land a player who had all the opportunities to pick a more well-known program but instead chose Utah, not once but twice. If the Jazz land a top pick in this draft, you better believe they would like to repay the favor.
To land AJ Dybantsa, the Jazz would most certainly have to land a top-two pick in the 2026 NBA draft, which means they need some luck, something they haven't had a lot of when it comes to ping pong balls. The theme from analysts so far is that Kansas star Darryn Peterson is the most likely person to go number one, with Dybantsa firmly planted in that second spot.
How would AJ fit if the Jazz were able to move up in the lottery? For a team that desperately needs additional ball handling to pair with Keyonte George, Dybantsa would be a near-perfect fit. He can also create his own shot and get to the free throw better than anyone else in this loaded class. Getting a top two pick would be the Jazz's best chance at landing a number one option to pair with their exciting core.
The repercussions of landing Dybantsa or even Peterson, for that matter, would likely mean moving Ace Bailey to the bench. Bailey is the Jazz's most likely player currently on the roster to become a number one option, but his game thus far in the NBA hasn't shown that almost guaranteed star power that AJ Dybantsa has showcased at BYU.
Having to move good young players to the bench would be a very good problem to have for a team that has had a bottom-five record in the last two seasons. The chance to pair a player of Dybantsa's potential with George, Jackson Jr., and Markkanen would be a dream for ownership and Jazz fans. It would most certainly change their direction dramatically heading into the 2026-27 NBA season.