AJ Dybantsa commends idol Kevin Durant’s "efficiency"; shares his favorite plays of the NBA legend

BYU commit AJ Dybantsa looks up to 2x NBA champion Kevin Durant for his on-court simplicity and efficiency, which makes him likeable by basketball fans around the world.

The 6-foot-9 small forward appeared on the special edition of the NBA's "Air Time" with former Houston Rockets coach Stephen Silas and was asked what quality of the Phoenix Suns star he likes the most.

The 6-foot-9 small forward, the No. 1-ranked prospect in the Class of 2026 behind Kansas commit Darryn Peterson (per ESPN), answered Durant's quick thinking and his all-business perspective on the court as the big trait that stands out for him.

"He's just super simple, super efficient, gets to his spots quick, doesn't do too much, doesn't take him long to do what he needs to do," Dybantsa said (Timestamp 0:36). "His mindset on the court is strictly basketball and just sticks to the main goal."

Silas and Dybantsa reviewed Durant's favorite moves — the hesitation pull-up, the quick fadeaway on the perimeter and the hesitation crossover. The Utah Prep star said that among the three moves, the hesitation-pull-up is his favorite for it's his go-to move.

"I do all three," Dybantsa said (Timestamp 8:11). "I do a lot of hesi-crosses, got to live in transition. I do a lot of hesi-crosses and hesi-in-and-outs, but when I'm feeling it, I go to my hesi-pull. That's like one of my go to moves, like the mid-post out of the three."

Dybantsa aims to help BYU improve on last season's performance. The Cougars made it to the Sweet 16, winning the first two rounds over VCU and Wisconsin before losing to Alabama by 25 points.

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AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer lead USA in overtime win over World Team in Nike Hoops Summit

AJ Dybantsa played alongside Cameron Boozer for the USA Team in the Nike Hoops Summit in Portland last week, where they won against the World Team in overtime 124-114. Dybantsa finished with 24 points while Boozer added 22 points, 16 rebounds and six assists.

Darius Acuff added 24 for the USA Team, which set the record for most points in a Nike Hoops Summit game. USA squandered a 16-point advantage with under five minutes, allowing the World Team to force overtime, but the hosts lorded over the five-minute extension to dispatch their foes and grabbed their fifth straight win in the event.

"We just wanted to be the tougher team. USA Basketball, we're the best 12 players in the country and we just wanted to go out there and show it," Cameron Boozer, who set the Nike Hoops Summit record in rebounds, said after the game.

Benin's Tounde Yessoufou led the World Team with 24 points while Italian Dame Sarr had 17 points. Bogoljub Markovic finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds while Eric Reibe, Tajh Ariza and Shon Abaev contributed 11.

The USA Team leads the series 19-7, as the World Team last won the Nike Hoop Summit scrimmage in 2018.