LAS VEGAS — Fans filled the Thomas & Mack Center wanting a show. No. 1 vs. No. 2 — AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson — from the most heralded draft class in a decade (at least), going head to head. Fans wanted to see if these two were worth the hype.
The fans got what they wanted.
It wasn’t always efficient — they shot a combined 13-of-36 — and both showed things they needed to work on (Peterson had eight turnovers, Dybantsa was 0-of-5 from 3-point range). However, fans who came to see if these guys could live up to the hype were not disappointed.
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Dybantsa was the best player on the floor and finished with a game-high 27 points. However, what stood out — what will translate to the NBA and make him a force — is his fluid athleticism. He’s graceful, but he was blowing past guys, and his ability to get downhill at his size is impressive — he just glides. It’s not to say he can’t be physical, but this isn’t like watching a Jalen Brunson drive. This feels effortless.
He also had some impressive finishes at the rim — he is a tough shot maker, and it showed.
What was new, the part of his game that was not there a year ago, was Dybants’s passing skills.
Dybantsa was comfortable with the ball in his hands, and for large parts of the game he was bringing the ball up and initiating the offense. It was effective; however, how much he will get to do that during the regular season is a question when they have Trae Young running the point.
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Peterson had a rougher night. In the Salt Lake Summer League, he was completely under control when Memphis blitzed him and upped its ball pressure, but the Wizards’ ball pressure threw Peterson off his game.
“We lost (92-88 Washington win), so it probably worked a little bit, but I’m expecting it,” Peterson said. “Good to get used to it now, play against it now, and just growth.”
Peterson seemed to be pressing a little in a showdown game, which led to a slow start, but he eventually found his rhythm. Ultimately, he showed his potential.
Peterson’s young Sacramento running mate Ace Bailey remained out with a slight calf strain suffered in the first game of the Salt Lake City Summer League.
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Dybantsa’s young Washington running mate was there, last season’s No. 6 pick Tre Johnson. He lived up to his reputation as a player who never saw a shot he didn’t like, scoring 26 points on 11-of-20 shooting and taking very few passes. When Johnson got the ball he was looking to go up.
Never read too much into a Summer League game, but in the end Dybantsa and Peterson gave the fans what they wanted — a show. And flashes of the players they can be in a few years.
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