AJ Dybantsa turned heads at the 2026 NBA Draft Combine on Tuesday, but not entirely for the reasons many expected. While the projected No. 1 pick posted the best vertical leap of any prospect with a massive 42-inch jump, a viral clip from his three-point shooting drill quickly sparked debate among fans online.

The footage, posted by reporter Chase Hughes and viewed more than 3 million times, showed Dybantsa struggling badly at the start of the drill. The 6-foot-9 wing with a 7-foot-plus wingspan missed his first four shots and six of his first nine attempts while shooting from the wings and top of the arc.

Dybantsa eventually recovered and finished the clip strong, knocking down five of his final six shots. Still, the rough opening stretch fueled jokes and speculation online, with some fans wondering whether he was intentionally “sandbagging” to avoid landing with the Washington Wizards after they secured the No. 1 overall pick Monday night.

While most scouts still view Dybantsa as an elite prospect because of his size, athleticism, and shot-creation ability, the shaky shooting display stood out because the other top prospects at the combine looked far more comfortable from deep.

Darryn Peterson impressed scouts with a 2.95-second shuttle run while shooting 58.8% in the three-point drills. Meanwhile, Cameron Boozer reportedly connected on 59% of his 3-point attempts.

Dybantsa still separated himself athletically with the best vertical leap at the combine, but Peterson and Boozer clearly had the stronger shooting performances on Tuesday.

Wizards Fans Debate AJ Dybantsa’s Shooting Performance

Another fan hyped up Aday Mara, who was shooting behind on another court. Mara shot 16/25 (64%) in the star 3-point shooting drill. He was 3/10 from three this season and did not attempt a three during his first two college seasons. That’s why the comment was “Meanwhile, the 7’4 demon on the other court in the back is making more 3s than him.”

Clips of the BYU superstar’s facial expression flooded social media timelines. His eyes were out and showed zero emotion with the Wizards having the #1 pick. So fans added, “he is sandbagging because he doesn’t want to get drafted by the Wizards.” When you consider his college career, it was not really surprising, as he relied on his physical tools in college and shot roughly 47% of his shots from the mid-range. A comment from a fan pointed out exactly this. “If you watched him you should already know he’s not a great 3 point shooter.”

Another netizen rightly pointed out the difference between the combine and the pressure of the NBA. “He doesnt have a good smooth shot, its going to get worse when he has defenders in his face, the mechanics are not built for a high or quick release, this is a bust”. While one fan still had faith in the former BYU star. “Should make 8 or 9 out of ten and probably shouldn’t travel on most of them.”

During his lone year of college basketball, Dybantsa shot 33.1% from three-point and made 1.4 threes on 4.2 attempts per game. So, dominating the paint is what the 19-year-old thrives in. Hughes added another video and stated that when Dybantsa had fresher legs, which is evidently shown, given that he shot his three-point attempts at a significantly better rate. After the combine, the BYU star explained why he deserved to be #1 in his class.

“I’m super versatile, I think I can bring a lot to the team on and off the court,” he told ESPN’s Vanessa Richardson. ” I think I play the game the right way, but I’m exciting and I know I fill the seats.” Now it remains to be seen if the three-point shooting from the first clip put some actual doubts in the Wizards’ front office.