The Brooklyn Nets are headed into the 2025-26 NBA season with a different roster as the franchise is hoping that the upcoming season will be something to be proud of. Brooklyn is hoping that at least one of the five rookies that the team selected in the 2025 NBA Draft have a good season, but the organization should also be looking towards the 2026 NBA Draft.
“AJ Dybantsa will instantly give off NBA star vibes with his 6’9″ wing size, creativity, shotmaking and explosive finishing,” Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman wrote in his latest mock draft for the 2026 class. Dybantsa is expected to be competing with Kansas guard Darryn Peterson to be the No. 1 overall pick in the class, but Dybantsa could be sliding down the board if Brooklyn is taking him with the No. 3 pick.
“Whether he can climb to No. 1 on boards will come down to his efficiency and decision-making, as he does have a tendency to force plays or develop tunnel vision,” Wasserman continued. “Still, aside from possibly the lottery-winner, teams aren’t going to nitpick Dybantsa, who possesses mismatch physical tools by NBA standards, wild athletic ability, handles/footwork to easily separate and high-level shooting skills from on and off the ball.”
Dybantsa, listed at 6-foot-8 and 210 pounds, heads into the 2025-26 college basketball season as one of the highest-profile players in the country and as a result, is expected to be a one-and-done. Part of the reason that Dybantsa could be in the range for the Nets to select him is because Brooklyn is expected to be one of the worst teams in the league this upcoming season.
In Wasserman’s mock, Dybantsa is selected after Peterson and Duke forward Cameron Boozer, but in most mocks in the NBA space, Boozer is going after Peterson and Dybantsa. Most likely, if the Nets want a shot at either of Peterson and Dybantsa, they will have to finish as one of the worst teams in the NBA while hoping that luck is in their favor by giving them the first or second overall pick in the 2026 NBA Lottery.