BYU Cougars freshman AJ Dybantsa said he would like to be compared to NBA legend Tracy McGrady. On Tuesday, Nov. 25, a video of the recent edition of “NBA Today” was posted on ESPN’s YouTube channel, where Sean Farnham interviewed Dybantsa and asked him questions about his college basketball program and his skillset.
To start things off, Farnham asked Dybantsa whom he would like to be compared with in the NBA. Dybantsa immediately quipped, Tracy McGrady. This is presumably because both players are dynamic scorers who can score with high efficiency at all levels.
“Tracy McGrady. I don’t know, like he just like, when I first heard it ’cause I never really watched T-Mac film. When I went back and watched it, I was like, ‘Yeah, that kind of looked like me,” Dybantsa admitted. (0:25)
Next, Dybantsa was asked who his favorite player is. He named Houston Rockets swingman Kevin Durant and a few other NBA stars he looks up to.
“Kevin Durant, my favorite player all time. But I mean, I watch a lot of people like LeBron, obviously Kobe, Tatum and Brown because I’m from that area. I’m from Boston. So, Boston Celtics guys, you had to watch them,” Dybantsa shared. (1:07)
In his first five college basketball games, Dybantsa has led coach Kevin Young’s Cougars to a 4-1 overall record, good for the first seed in the Big 12 conference rankings. They trounced the Wisconsin Badgers by 28 points, 98-70, on Friday, Nov. 21, and are looking to do the same against the Miami Hurricanes on Thursday, Nov. 27.
Read More: “I’m Going To Be Making More Money [in NBA] Than I’ll Be Making in College”: $4.4 Million NIL-Valued AJ Dybantsa Reiterates His “Driving Factor”
Coach Kevin Young Sees A Mix Of Devin Booker And Kevin Durant In AJ Dybantsa
In the aforementioned edition of “NBA Today,” coach Kevin Young was asked which player in the NBA reminds him of AJ Dybantsa the most.
Young was asked this, given that he was an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns. Thus, he named All-Stars Devin Booker and Kevin Durant.
“Yeah, so he reminds me a lot of, it’s a combination of that serious-minded focus that I saw in Devin Booker, the work ethic that I saw in Kevin Durant. He has that type of maturity. He carries himself like he’s already been a pro for 10 years. And, just yesterday, he asked me, ‘Hey, when guys would get really physical with Book or with KD, what would they go to?’ You know, we feel like we can kind of help give him the answers to the test before he even gets there,” Young said. (1:20)
Also Read: 2026 NBA Mock Draft: Full 2-Round Breakdown Ft. Darryn Peterson and AJ Dybantsa
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