AJ Dybantsa Sprains Ankle in Wizards Preseason Finale

AJ Dybantsa, the No. 1 overall pick, left the Washington Wizards' preseason finale on Friday with a left ankle sprain. He landed awkwardly after a midrange jumper in the second quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans, went down and limped to the locker room, per ESPN.

Wizards coach Brian Keefe told sideline reporter Chase Hughes it was a mild sprain and that keeping Dybantsa out the rest of the night was more precautionary than anything. Dybantsa will undergo further evaluation.

"We'll look at it more when we get more information," Keefe said.

What happened against the Pelicans

Dybantsa was rolling before the injury. He had 12 points in 15 minutes when he went down. New Orleans went on to win the exhibition 107-106, with Saddiq Bey scoring 19 off the bench and Jeremiah Fears adding 14 points and five assists, per Sportsnet.

The 19-year-old played in four preseason games and scored between 11 and 14 points in each one, according to Sportsnet. That is steady production from a rookie who is supposed to be the face of the rebuild in Washington.

Why Wizards fans are holding their breath

The Wizards drafted Dybantsa first overall in June out of BYU, where the 6-foot-9 forward led the nation in scoring at 25.5 points per game in his only college season, per Field Level Media. He is expected to play alongside veterans Anthony Davis and Trae Young on a roster with a lot more juice than the last few versions.

The No. 1 goal of the preseason is to come out of it healthy. Washington nearly made it through the whole exhibition slate clean before the finale bit them. The good news is the early read is mild, and the team pulled him as a precaution rather than because he could not continue.

Home opener status

The Wizards open the regular season at home against the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday, Oct. 21, at Capital One Arena. Keefe said Dybantsa will need to be re-evaluated before the team knows whether he can go in that one.

That leaves a few days of practice reports and walk-through updates to watch. If he moves well in practice, the rookie could still make his NBA debut on schedule. If not, Washington will be smart to wait a game or two with an 82-game runway ahead.

A 25.5 point-per-game college scorer and the top pick in the draft, sitting on a mild ankle sprain four days before opening night. Every Wizards fan will be refreshing the injury report until Wednesday.