With just three games remaining in the college basketball season, full focus will soon switch over to the 2026 NBA Draft. For months now, this class has been thought of as an elite one. Debates on who should go No. 1 overall will rage on, even after Adam Silver makes the pick official. It’s not just one or two guys either, as multiple candidates exist.
Jay Bilas revealed where he currently stands. He admitted AJ Dybantsa is who he would take with the top selection right now. The BYU forward possesses can’t-miss abilities in Bilas’ opinion. However, there is a close second in Darryn Peterson due to the scoring capabilities.
“I would probably lean toward AJ Dybantsa because of his positional size and length,” Bilas said via The Ryen Rusillo Show. “Peterson is the most fluid scorer in college I can remember since (Kevin) Durant. You know, over the last 10 games, he was playing 32 minutes a game. So all the stuff about him not wanting to play was nonsense. He’s the real thing. And you don’t want to miss on that. But at the same time, Dybantsa offers stuff that you know isn’t going to miss.”
Peterson played at least 28 minutes in the final nine games of the season for Kansas. Those produced 20.4 points per game out of the future lottery pick. And this came in a stretch where Peterson did not shoot particularly well from the three-point line, just over 30%. His game inside the arc was much better, coming in at 42.7%.
Storylines still exist around Peterson, mainly about his health and desire to play. Bilas dismissed those due to the minutes played and production in them.
Even so, Dybantsa is the name Bilas would hand Silver if running an NBA team. We saw the talent on display throughout the 2025-2026 season at BYU. Dybantsa averaged 25.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game. His numbers did not dip, if any, during conference play where Dybantsa put up 25.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.8 assists against Big 12 opponents. No matter the level of competition, the true freshman played well.
There is still plenty of the draft process to go through. But players such as Dybantsa and Peterson have prepared for this moment for a long time. Somebody will eventually win the race, earning the lifelong title of a No. 1 overall pick.