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Why waste time conducting a workout when your highlight tape is free on YouTube? This has been the publicly-acknowledged M.O. of Darryn Peterson from the time that he announced that he would only work out for the Washington Wizards and the Utah Jazz, the two teams at the top of the draft order.
Even more so when, following his workout and visit with the Wizards, Peterson decided that he was so confident in his chances with the top pick, that he wouldn't even make the trip to Salt Lake City to work out for the Jazz. Why waste your time if you're never going to be available when the second pick rolls around, right?
He received some backlash and some praise for this decision, but now that AJ Dybantsa (Peterson's primary competition for the number-one selection) has shared his pre-draft tendencies, fan response has been very mixed.
"I don't work out for [any teams]," the BYU star shared on a recent podcast appearance. "I just visited the cities. They take me to the facility; they take me to dinner. [We] talk. They know what I can do."
For a player in his position, this seems like a reasonable approach to his pre-draft process. Working out for an NBA team is a gamble. If it goes well and you check all their boxes, you might just hear your name called on draft night. If if goes poorly, however, you might just slip in the order. For this reason, a player who believes he could never slip below the second overall pick has little reason to plead his case to potential suitors.
In his own words, the Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards are fully aware of what he can do, even if he doesn't go through their curated list of workouts.
YouTube is free, my friends, and you can watch AJ Dybantsa's highlight tape all you want over there.
Where AJ shines above Peterson, his competition, is in the intangibles. While Peterson was marred with a rocky path at Kansas where injuries, playing time, and role were all points of conflict, Dybantsa faced no controversy, no off-court questions, and no personality conflicts.
He's proved capable of filling a leadership role, flashing maturity where other prospects his age have struggled, and displaying a very strong basketball IQ for a prospect of his age.
The pitch for AJ Dybantsa is simple: you've seen what he can do on the basketball court -- what more do you need?
Continue reading...
Even more so when, following his workout and visit with the Wizards, Peterson decided that he was so confident in his chances with the top pick, that he wouldn't even make the trip to Salt Lake City to work out for the Jazz. Why waste your time if you're never going to be available when the second pick rolls around, right?
He received some backlash and some praise for this decision, but now that AJ Dybantsa (Peterson's primary competition for the number-one selection) has shared his pre-draft tendencies, fan response has been very mixed.
"I don't work out for [any teams]," the BYU star shared on a recent podcast appearance. "I just visited the cities. They take me to the facility; they take me to dinner. [We] talk. They know what I can do."
For a player in his position, this seems like a reasonable approach to his pre-draft process. Working out for an NBA team is a gamble. If it goes well and you check all their boxes, you might just hear your name called on draft night. If if goes poorly, however, you might just slip in the order. For this reason, a player who believes he could never slip below the second overall pick has little reason to plead his case to potential suitors.
In his own words, the Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards are fully aware of what he can do, even if he doesn't go through their curated list of workouts.
YouTube is free, my friends, and you can watch AJ Dybantsa's highlight tape all you want over there.
Where AJ shines above Peterson, his competition, is in the intangibles. While Peterson was marred with a rocky path at Kansas where injuries, playing time, and role were all points of conflict, Dybantsa faced no controversy, no off-court questions, and no personality conflicts.
He's proved capable of filling a leadership role, flashing maturity where other prospects his age have struggled, and displaying a very strong basketball IQ for a prospect of his age.
The pitch for AJ Dybantsa is simple: you've seen what he can do on the basketball court -- what more do you need?
Continue reading...
