The Best Problem the Wizards Could've Asked For: Game Notes From Game 1 of Summer League
If you think I’m not going to find a way to write a couple of thousands words about a meaningless Summer League, you’re out of your mind.
Author’s Note: Apologies again for no embedded videos, blame media rights.
In the Thomas & Mack Center, shoulder to shoulder with basketball sickos and gamblers with questionable intentions, the entirety of my Thursday was spent dreading a world where AJ Dybantsa did not live up to the moment. And for the amount of sh** I may have talked in private, I was just begging to not be embarrassed.
Whispers and murmurs of fear or concern spread through the section and camera shots of AJ Dybantsa's naturally intense eyes invited every possible interpretation. Depending on who you asked, they reflected either quiet confidence or the pressure of a teenager carrying impossible expectations.
Quickly, we found out it wasn’t a problem.
Dybantsa finished the night with 27 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and a block. Mixed shooting efficiency — 7 for 18 from the field and 0 for 5 from deep — was overlooked with just how often he was drawing contact. 13 fouls would be drawn by Dybantsa. Are you f***ing kidding me. And a highlight moment reminded us that we were witnessing one of the brightest talents in the North American basketball in front of us.
Utah knew it was a night where they were going to do their absolute best at removing Dybantsa from the offensive equation, only to seemingly lead a sheep to the slaughter with Cody Williams drawing the assignment on occasion before pivoting to Trey Alexander. Washington prioritized a simple high-screen action, allowing from Dybantsa to run a simplified offense where he could simply attack the basket and Utah would have to hold on for dear life.
Incredibly relieving was to see how immediate the finishing at the rim would translate, particularly because the Jazz were collapsing two or three on him at a time every single time he was driving to the basket. 10 of his 27 points would be in the paint, an in impressive figure. But the concerns of how much contact he was eating on drives is a little bit worrying, especially in what should be more of a recreational basketball setting.
Washington wasn’t able to really get him going in isolation which is something to monitor, especially with early attempts at doing so on the wing. But it also could be translated to players learning each other’s preferences, particularly the entry passes required to play into a player’s positioning advantage not always being there or fielded cleanly.
Not finding the bottom of the net from the perimeter was a blemish on the night — although he definitely was fouled on his first attempt. And the jump shot may not have been his best friend, despite consistently being able to generate clean looks through his go-to turnaround move.
But in lieu, the defensive intensity and the passing showed-up.
The Mormon Mamba1 understood incredibly quickly what his assignment was on the evening and that he was going to be the point of focus. He stood his ground — particular being incredibly aggressive in on-ball defensive situations that clearly surprised members of the Jazz entering Summer League with different expectations of him. Not only was he sturdy, the quickness of his hands and feet jumped off the court. Dybantsa wasn’t hunting highlight blocks or gambling for steals. He was simply making every dribble uncomfortable. Every catch felt contested. Utah’s wings repeatedly tried to attack him downhill only to discover he was far more willing to absorb contact than they were expecting.
For a player whose offensive reputation has consumed every conversation since he was sixteen years old, the defensive buy-in might have been the most encouraging development of the night.
And remember Tre Johnson?! You know, the sixth overall pick in last year’s draft?
Overall, Johnson was the best player on the floor for both teams, a reminder of just how stupid skilled some of Washington’s young core truly was last season.
A key point entering Summer League was the reminder that Tre Johnson is a piece of Washington’s future, not just this ancillary figure passing in the wind that will convert into a trade asset down the line. Washington’s fandom has been quick to think that Johnson would be the odd man out — to which Johnson clearly wanted to disprove.
He did that.
11 for 20 from the field and 26 points on a night where he wasn’t getting clean opportunities on the perimeter was the reminder of just how pure of a scorer he truly is. Questions do remain if there is something more to be developed or found in his tool kit but he warrants enough consideration as a true scoring threat — whether it changes from a Michael Redd lifestyle or a Richard Hamilton completeness is to be seen.
Despite recording 4 turnovers, his dribble and reads noticeably felt better — particularly with there being a situation in the first where he was getting trapped and easily found his way out of it.
The playmaking leap wasn’t dramatic enough to call it a transformation, but it was tangible enough to believe the work is happening.
Johnson looked considerably more patient operating out of pick-and-rolls instead of immediately defaulting to the pull-up. When Utah shaded a second defender toward him, he generally made the correct read. The four turnovers are worth acknowledging, but they felt more like the product of experimentation than carelessness. There is a meaningful difference between a player forcing a pass he cannot make and attempting one he should eventually be able to.
That’s exactly what Summer League is supposed to be for.
His scoring, though, remains the headliner.
There were possessions where the offense completely stalled, the shot clock bled under eight seconds and Johnson simply manufactured something out of nothing. A difficult pull-up. A hesitation into a mid-range jumper. A smooth finish after changing speeds. The degree of difficulty rarely seemed to matter.
It’s easy to become numb to that because scoring has always been his calling card. 26 points almost feels routine when you’re talking about Tre Johnson. But it shouldn’t.
The Wizards desperately needed someone last season who could generate a respectable shot without an offensive ecosystem perfectly functioning around them. Johnson already looks capable of filling that role. And he was even doing that last season
Perhaps the most encouraging aspect of his night, however, was that he never appeared interested in proving he belonged alongside Dybantsa. He simply played alongside him.
There wasn’t a tug-of-war over possessions or an uncomfortable “your turn, my turn” dynamic that can plague talented young scorers. Johnson was comfortable spacing the floor while Dybantsa attacked downhill, and Dybantsa was equally comfortable giving Johnson possessions to operate when the matchup dictated it.
That balance matters more than either individual stat line.
For months, much of the conversation surrounding Washington has revolved around who eventually becomes the guy. Thursday served as a reminder that the better question may be whether they have two players capable of making that conversation unnecessary. One bends defenses with overwhelming physicality and relentless rim pressure. The other punishes them with shot-making that borders on effortless.
With every good that comes with Summer League, there are also the questions that emerge as well. One could call them nitpicks, others could call them causes for concern.
Washington did primarily push out an offensive system centered around wing play with a lesser reliance on guard involvement — which has been a theme that still doesn’t necessarily sit well, especially with how poor it was in last year’s regular season. Partially because there were instances where Will Riley couldn’t generate much separation with the ball in his hands in a slower setting and, more importantly, because the offense occasionally lacked someone whose first instinct was simply to organize it.
It was noticeable when Kadary Richmond would in-bounds the ball into the hands of a Dybantsa and that would be his lone touch that particular possession. Or how much of a challenge it felt for Seth Trimble to get those opportunities. It was also noticeable how little it felt like Julian Reese or Felix Okpara could realistically get involved in the two-man game.
Am I saying this is also a bad thing given the struggles of finishing close to the basket from the Wizards’ big men? Not necessarily
However, it is worth monitoring because development isn’t just about who gets the shots. It’s about who is being asked to develop which skills.
Summer League should be the place where everyone is allowed to fail a little.
Instead, Thursday often felt like Washington correctly identifying that Dybantsa and Johnson were the two best players on the floor and leaning into it. That won them a basketball game — ending the joke of Dybantsa being unable to beat Darryn Peterson, but it also meant some of the supporting pieces became spectators for long stretches.
Will Riley, for example, probably needs reps operating against a set defense more than he needs another possession spotting up in the corner. Kadary Richmond’s value has always been tied to his ability to initiate offense and manipulate defenders, yet there were possessions where he simply served as the player who delivered the entry pass before disappearing from the action. Even the screen-setting from Reese and Okpara occasionally felt less like a partnership and more like a formality before the inevitable isolation or downhill attack.
Maybe that’s intentional. Perhaps T.J. Sorrentine wanted the offense to be as simple as possible in Game 1, allowing his two premier shot creators to get comfortable before layering in additional actions as Summer League progresses. If that’s the case, then there isn’t much to criticize.
But if this is representative of the offensive hierarchy moving forward, one might want to see a little more diversity in how Washington generates offense.
Not because Dybantsa and Johnson can't carry that burden—they clearly can. But because the ceiling of this rebuild isn’t determined by whether those two are stars. It’s determined by whether the players around them become force multipliers instead of passengers.
The encouraging part is that this is an exceptionally good problem to have. Honestly, it probably the best problem Washington could’ve asked for.
There are franchises leaving Las Vegas wondering whether they have anyone capable of becoming a cornerstone. The Wizards left Thursday wondering how they’ll eventually divide the offensive pie between multiple players who deserve a larger slice.
That’s a much more enjoyable debate.
Because for the first time in a long time, Washington isn’t searching for hope. It’s searching for balance. And that’s a far healthier place for a rebuild to be.
I already hate this nickname. I hate that I used it. Let’s not make it a thing.
Great analysis. I had never thought of Rip Hamilton as a Tre comp, but I see it and I like it. (My go-to comp had been “new age Lou Williams,” mostly - and lamentably - because I don’t see Tre being a starter during the Trae Young Era, but stylistically I like the Hamilton comp a lot.)
I would have appreciated an article about the GAME--one that also included the other team on the floor--more than a paean to AJ.