The Brooklyn Nets are nearing the end of what has been a tough 2025-26 NBA season for the franchise that is hoping to select its next start in the NBA Draft. Brooklyn is hoping to get lucky in the 2026 NBA Draft by getting a top-3 draft pick and one of the players that they could take had arguably his best game in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
BYU forward AJ Dybantsa, projected by many to be the top overall pick in the 2026 class, dropped 35 points and 10 rebounds in Thursday’s 79-71 loss to Texas. Dybantsa put on an impressive display of shotmaking against a Longhorns team that focused all of his defensive attention on him and he still shot 11-of-25 from the field and 1-of-7 from three-point range.
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“A surprising Round 1 exit from the 2026 NCAA Tournament won’t be a deal-breaker for teams that view him as the top prospect,” Jonathan Wasserman wrote on Dybantsa following BYU’s exit from the Tournament. “Of the perceived Big Three in our Mock Draft, which includes Duke’s Cameron Boozer and Kansas’ Darryn Peterson, Dybantsa seems to have the fewest question marks.”
Dybantsa, 19, likely finishes his college career averaging 25.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game while shooting 51.0% from the field and 33.1% from three-point range in his freshman season at BYU. Heading into Friday’s slate of NBA games, the Nets have the third-worst record in the league, giving them, along with two other teams, the best chance (14.0%) at getting the first overall pick.
If Brooklyn is lucky enough to end up with the first overall pick, it will probably be hard for general manager Sean Marks to pass up on the chance to select a player like Dybantsa, given his projected floor and ceiling. Given how Dybantsa looked on Thursday against Texas, teams like the Nets will be hoping that they can bring Dybantsa into their organization after how he has played over the past few weeks.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Potential Nets 2026 NBA Draft pick AJ Dybantsa drops 35 vs. Texas