2026 Rookies Debut as No. 1 Pick AJ Dybantsa Waits

The 2026 draft class has arrived in the NBA, minus its headline act. On Wednesday, 21 October, most of the lottery picks made their regular-season debuts, including No. 2 pick Darryn Peterson of the Utah Jazz and No. 3 pick Cameron Boozer of the Memphis Grizzlies, who faced each other in Memphis. No. 1 pick AJ Dybantsa, however, sat out the Washington Wizards’ opener with a sprained left ankle and was then ruled out of Friday’s home game against the Toronto Raptors as well.

The opening slate offered a mix of encouraging signs and reminders that rookie seasons rarely start smoothly. Here is what we know from the first days of the class’s NBA careers.

Dybantsa’s delayed debut

Dybantsa hurt the ankle in Washington’s preseason finale against the New Orleans Pelicans. NBC Sports Washington reported that he had scored 12 points in 15 minutes before landing awkwardly after a jump shot in the second quarter. Head coach Brian Keefe has described him as day-to-day, and NBA.com’s Kia Rookie Ladder noted that he had scored in double figures in all four of his preseason appearances, with seven rebounds in one game and four steals in another.

His absence did not stop the Wizards from making a statement. Washington beat the Milwaukee Bucks 128-116 in its opener, with Anthony Davis scoring 34 points and taking 12 rebounds in his first game since 8 January. Field Level Media reported that Davis’s total tied Antawn Jamison’s 2004 mark for the most points in a Wizards debut. Trae Young added 20 points and 13 assists, and the win put Washington above .500 for the first time since November 2022.

• Injury: sprained left ankle, suffered in the preseason finale against New Orleans.
• Status: day-to-day, according to coach Brian Keefe.
• Games missed: the opener against Milwaukee and Friday’s home game against Toronto.
• Next possible appearance: Saturday at Chicago, according to Field Level Media.

Boozer and Peterson in Memphis

The most anticipated rookie matchup of the night was in Memphis, where the Grizzlies beat the Jazz 123-103. Boozer, picked to win Rookie of the Year in the 2026-27 NBA general managers’ survey, had a strange but productive debut: seven points on 2-of-15 shooting, but 11 rebounds and five assists. ClutchPoints reported that Memphis outscored Utah by 32 points with him on the floor, which, according to StatMuse, is the highest plus-minus by any player in a Grizzlies season opener.

Peterson finished with nine points, four rebounds and three assists for Utah. The game belonged to Memphis guard Ty Jerome, who scored 45 points on 17-of-25 shooting. For the Jazz, Keyonte George, fresh from signing a five-year rookie-scale extension, led the team with 22 points, and Lauri Markkanen added 18 points and nine rebounds. Both rookies were outshone by veterans, which is normal in a first game, but each showed glimpses of what made them top-three picks.

The rest of the lottery

One lottery pick beat the rest of the class to the floor. Oklahoma City’s Aday Mara, the No. 12 pick, debuted on opening night itself against San Antonio, scoring seven points with two rebounds, an assist and a block in nearly 12 minutes of a 116-104 Thunder win. NBA.com highlighted a sequence in which he blocked a shot and then finished a play at the other end, a promising introduction for a big man joining a championship-level rotation.

The Kia Rookie Ladder also set out the pre-season form of the other leading picks. Caleb Wilson, the No. 4 pick, was due to debut for Chicago in Toronto after averaging 21.4 points per 36 minutes in preseason. Darius Acuff Jr., taken seventh by Sacramento, had gone 8-for-19 on three-pointers in preseason, including 25 points and eight assists against Golden State. Golden State’s Yaxel Lendeborg, the No. 11 pick, scored at least 17 points in four of his five preseason games, and coach Steve Kerr has said he will get rotation minutes.

• Cameron Boozer (No. 3, Memphis): 7 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, +32 in his debut.
• Darryn Peterson (No. 2, Utah): 9 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists in his debut.
• Aday Mara (No. 12, Oklahoma City): 7 points in nearly 12 minutes on opening night.
• AJ Dybantsa (No. 1, Washington): yet to debut because of a left ankle sprain.

Early verdict

It is far too soon to draw conclusions about a draft class from one or two games. Shooting percentages swing wildly over small samples, and rookies are still learning the speed, physicality and spacing of NBA defences. What matters more at this stage is role. Boozer is playing meaningful minutes for a team that won comfortably, Peterson is being given responsibility in a Jazz backcourt, and Mara has earned a place in Oklahoma City’s rotation.

Dybantsa’s situation is different. He joins a Wizards team that suddenly has expectations, built around Davis and Young, and he may not need to carry the scoring load the way many top picks do. That could help him settle once he is healthy. The Rookie of the Year race usually rewards availability and volume, so a delayed start is not ideal, but a minor ankle sprain should not define his season.

Malaysian fans following the rookies should note that most of these games tip off between 7 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. local time, with West Coast games such as Sacramento at the Clippers starting latest. NBA.com’s weekly Rookie Ladder will be a useful guide as the class settles, and Dybantsa’s first appearance, whenever it comes, will be one of the most anticipated rookie debuts of the season.

How to read the next chapter

The first step in reading 2026 Rookies Debut as No is to separate the confirmed event from what it may mean for the rest of the season. One game, injury update or contract decision can change a team's immediate options, but it rarely settles a longer trend. Look at the official game book or team announcement for the event itself, then compare it with the wider schedule and the players actually available. Early-season numbers are particularly sensitive to small samples: a high shooting percentage over two games says less than the quality and type of the shots that created it.