AJ Dybantsa, the potential No. 1 NBA pick in 2026, leads U.S. to gold: Takeaways

New York Times

8 hours ago

Team USA entered the FIBA U19 World Cup in Switzerland as the gold medal favorite, and the Americans lived up to the hype, capturing the title with a dominant 109-76 victory over previously unbeaten Germany in Sunday's championship game. Both teams were 6-0 heading into the final, but the Americans' depth and firepower proved too much for a German squad led by Texas Tech standout and All-Big 12 freshman Christian Anderson Jr.
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Incoming BYU star freshman AJ Dybantsa capped off an impressive tournament run by achieving his goal — bringing home the gold with Team USA and taking home MVP honors with averages of 14.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game.
Throughout the tournament, Dybantsa showed why he is such a highly touted prospect and presumed by many to be the No. 1 pick in next year's draft.
Dybantsa can impact both ends of the floor at a high level and has the potential to be a two-way star at the next level. He didn't shoot well from 3 in this tournament (11.1 percent), but he should benefit by playing in BYU's offense, a system that will give him wide-open opportunities.
What Dybantsa can do with the ball in his hands is reminiscent of Paul George. He is a big-shot creator with an excellent feel for the game, who can get downhill to either score or make plays for others. He also has a great motor; you don't typically see kids ranked this high play this hard so consistently. He had a steal in every game but one (France), but his length and activity were always a problem for opposing teams.
AJ Dybantsa 🇺🇸 (@AJ_Dybantsa) Was named 'MVP' of the FIBA U19 World Cup.
The BYU Cougars (@BYUMBB) freshman averaged:20 Minutes14.3 Points (50% FG | 84% FT)4.1 Rebounds 2.3 Assists1.1 Steals42 free throws made (1st) pic.twitter.com/Xq5qcSFtL8
— Hoops HQ (@hhqsports) July 6, 2025
Dybantsa is one of the favorites to go No. 1 in the 2026 NBA Draft, and for good reason. But the 2026 class isn't as clear-cut as Cooper Flagg's 2025 class. This class has four prospects capable of going first, including Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson (Kansas), Cameron Boozer (Duke) and Mikel Brown Jr. (Louisville).
Several prospects boosted their draft stock during the World Cup, including Brown and Anderson.
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Brown, in particular, made a major statement — firmly inserting himself into the conversation as a potential No. 1 overall pick. He led Team USA in scoring (14.9 points) and assists (6.1) on 46/47/82 shooting splits. He also led the team in efficiency and made 3s (20). His combination of skill and feel as a lead guard will have plenty of NBA teams lined up wanting him to run the show.
Louisville's Mikel Brown Jr again put together another elite offensive performance vs Cameroon this time.
Mikel had:
24 points 2 rebounds 8 assists 9-12 FG5-6 3PT19 minutes
Mikel has been firmly making his case as a top 5 prospect in the 2026 draft class pic.twitter.com/hMxFPVcD4L
— Arman Jovic (@PDTScouting) July 1, 2025
As for Anderson, he will be in the running to be Big 12 Player of the Year and first-team All-Big 12, alongside teammate JT Toppin, as the Red Raiders look to make another deep tournament run.
Anderson averaged 17.3 points (10th in the tournament), 4.9 rebounds and 6.6 assists (second in the tournament), including two games in which he scored 27 and 29 points. He was arguably the best guard in the tournament, displaying similarities in his game to NBA veteran Dennis Schröder. Anderson will be on the German National Team for the 2028 Olympics.
The 2025-26 season is set to be a landmark year for the Big 12, with the league welcoming its most loaded freshman class ever. Ten of the top 24 prospects — and 16 of the top 100, including Baylor's Koa Peat — are set to bring their talents to the conference.
In Team USA's win, Peat became the first player to win three World Cup titles in FIBA youth competitions. Peat was one of the more consistent players throughout the tournament, averaging 12.6 points and 6.9 rebounds.
There were 54 college players in this tournament, which speaks to the depth of talent in the sport, especially as more international players come over.
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Eric Reibe (Germany) and Jacob Furphy (Australia) make UConn deeper and more dangerous. Foreign prospects like Dash Daniels (Australia) get most of the headlines, but Furphy may be the best pro of all the international prospects in this tournament.
The Washington Huskies are also in great shape moving forward, with JJ Mandaquit (Team USA) and Hannes Steinbach (Germany).