Brian Keefe calls AJ Dybantsa day-to-day, won’t commit to Wizards’ opener against the Bucks

AJ Dybantsa is day-to-day, Washington Wizards coach Brian Keefe said after practice on Sunday, October 18, and the first overall pick’s place in Wednesday’s season opener against the Milwaukee Bucks is still undecided.

The label is a small step forward from Friday night, when the rookie rolled his ankle in the preseason finale and nobody could say how serious it was. It is not a green light. Reports asked directly whether Dybantsa would suit up against Milwaukee, Keefe declined to give an answer, saying the team was “just going one day at a time.”

How the injury happened

Dybantsa went down in the second quarter of Friday’s exhibition against the New Orleans Pelicans. He came down awkwardly after a fading midrange jumper, limped to the locker room and stayed there, finishing with 12 points in 15 minutes. ESPN first reported on Saturday that it was his left ankle, and Keefe had already described the problem as a minor sprain. No imaging results have been made public.

Washington’s caution is easy to understand. Dybantsa is the face of the rebuild, and the franchise gains little by rushing a 19-year-old onto a sore ankle in the first week of an 82-game season.

What his absence would mean

The former BYU star had been one of the more convincing rookies of the exhibition schedule. He reached double figures in all four of his preseason games, and the way he used his 6-foot-10 frame on defense, jumping passing lanes and collecting steals, was a pleasant surprise for a player drafted mainly for his scoring. “I always knew I had defensive potential,” he said after his first preseason outing.

He had been projected to start at small forward. If he sits, Bilal Coulibaly is the natural replacement in the opening group, and more of the creative load would fall on the veterans Washington added this summer, Trae Young and Anthony Davis. Missing the opener would also cost Dybantsa a home debut in front of a crowd that has spent the summer waiting for it.

What comes next

The Wizards host the Bucks at Capital One Arena on Wednesday, October 21. The league’s official injury report, due the day before the game, should give the first formal designation, and Monday’s and Tuesday’s practices will show how much work Dybantsa can handle. Follow the matchup in the Game Center and track every team’s list on the injuries page.