No. 1 Pick AJ Dybantsa Will Miss Wizards Opener With Ankle Injury

Washington will have to wait a little longer for the debut it has been counting down to. Head coach Brian Keefe said on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, that rookie AJ Dybantsa, the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, will miss the Wizards' season opener on Wednesday against the Milwaukee Bucks because of a left ankle injury.

Dybantsa rolled the ankle in the second quarter of the preseason finale against the New Orleans Pelicans. He left the game and did not return, finishing with 12 points and two rebounds in 15 minutes. The Wizards called the decision to keep him out that night a precaution, and Keefe described the injury as a mild sprain.

A week of day to day, then a clear answer

Keefe spent the days after the finale giving the same answer. On Sunday he called Dybantsa day to day. On Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, he said the same thing again after the 19 year old took part in light on court shooting at practice. The team said it would take the recovery one step at a time and wait for the official injury report due on Tuesday.

That report brought the answer fans did not want. Dybantsa is out for Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026, when Washington hosts Milwaukee at Capital One Arena with tipoff at 7:00 p.m. ET. The club has not given a return date, and his status for the next home game, against the Toronto Raptors on Friday, is not yet known.

What Washington loses for one night

The delay matters because of who Dybantsa is. The 6 foot 9 forward led the nation in scoring in his one season at BYU, averaging 25.5 points and 6.8 rebounds across 35 games, and won Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors. He was the first freshman to score at least 30 points in his NCAA Tournament debut since Steph Curry did it in 2007.

In four preseason games for Washington he averaged 12.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.5 steals, shooting 43.9 percent from the field. He scored in double figures in every game, with two outings of 13 points.

Washington still expects to open largely healthy. Alex Sarr and Khris Middleton, both limited early in training camp, have been cleared and played in the preseason. Tristan Vukcevic remains out with a left hip problem, and Jamir Watkins is out long term after tearing an ACL in Summer League.

The opener goes ahead without its main attraction. The first 15,000 fans at Capital One Arena will still get the rally towel the team planned for the night, and the halftime show is still on. What they will not get is the first regular season look at the player the whole rebuild is built around. For now, that wait runs at least one game longer.