Dybantsa Ankle Injury Clouds Washington's One Clear Bright Spot

AJ Dybantsa left the Wizards' preseason finale after an awkward landing injured his ankle, and the team says he'll undergo further evaluation. No timetable yet. That's where things stand.

It's a lousy way to open a season that was already carrying plenty of weight. The entire offseason argument for Washington's rebuild rested on a few pillars — Trae Young locked in, the veterans around him upgraded, and Dybantsa as the long-term foundation underneath all of it. The No. 1 pick was supposed to be the one piece of this roster that nobody had to worry about yet. Now they do.

The ankle itself may turn out to be minor. Preseason injuries often are. But the Wizards finished 19-67 last season and have spent three consecutive years proving that things tend to go sideways in D.C. — so the front office doesn't get the benefit of the doubt on "further evaluation" right now. My read is that the next few days matter a lot: if Dybantsa is available for opening night, this is a footnote; if he isn't, Washington is starting the year without its most important young asset and its clearest reason for optimism.

The Davis extension situation is still unresolved, the roster still has questions nobody answered during the summer, and now this. It's preseason, and it already feels like a lot.