AJ Dybantsa out vs. Raptors, NBA debut on hold again

Thursday morning looked hopeful. Dybantsa stayed after Wizards practice to shoot free throws, and his status for Friday was still officially up in the air.

Josh Robbins

@JoshuaBRobbins

Here's a look at AJ Dybantsa shooting free throws after the Wizards' practice this morning. Dybantsa's playing status for Friday's home game is unclear at the moment. t.co/q82AO0iRjk

Free throws don't tell you much about an ankle, though. Standing at the line is nothing like planting, cutting and landing at full speed. About half an hour later the team settled it.

Josh Robbins

@JoshuaBRobbins

AJ Dybantsa (sprained ankle) will not play Friday when the Wizards host the Raptors, Brian Keefe said.

The injury goes back to the preseason finale against the Pelicans. Dybantsa came down on his left ankle after a midrange jumper and limped to the locker room in the second quarter. He'd already scored 12 points in 15 minutes, which was a pretty good look at why Washington took him first overall. Keefe called him day-to-day, and the Wizards ruled him out of Wednesday's opener against Milwaukee.

Washington was fine without him in the opener. Anthony Davis scored 34 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in his first game as a Wizard, and Washington beat the Bucks 128-116. Bilal Coulibaly started on the wing in Dybantsa's place, and he'll probably get the start again Friday.

To be clear, Dybantsa is not being pulled from a lineup that just won. He hasn't played a regular season game yet. Friday at home against Toronto was supposed to be the backup plan for his debut, and that's gone now too. 'Day-to-day' is starting to sound like a longer stretch than it did a week ago.

This is probably the right call. Nobody in DC should want the franchise's 19-year-old centerpiece rushing back on a bad ankle in October so he can play a regular season game against the Raptors. A 1-0 start built around Davis gives the Wizards room to be patient. Watch the practice reports and Keefe's next update. Until Dybantsa gets through a full practice, the free-throw clips don't mean he's close.