Washington Wizards rookie AJ Dybantsa is scheduled to make his NBA regular-season debut Wednesday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Dybantsa, the No. 1 overall pick in June’s NBA draft, has been upgraded to available after missing the first four games of the Wizards’ season while recovering from an ankle injury he sustained during Washington’s preseason finale on Oct. 16.
To mark Dybantsa’s return, the team made a short social media post Wednesday — “no more waiting.” A few minutes later, the 19-year-old chimed in, simply saying, “It’s time.”
The Wizards are 2-2 to begin the season without the services of their highly touted rookie.
The Wizards also announced Wednesday forward Justin Champagnie underwent surgery to repair a fracture in his right foot suffered Monday in the game against the Charlotte Hornets. No immediate timetable for his return was disclosed.
Dybantsa averaged 13 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and two steals in three preseason appearances, shooting just over 42% from the floor, per ESPN.
The 6-foot-9 forward from BYU averaged 25.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 51 percent from the field in his only season in college in Provo.
