It’s no secret that number the number two overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft, Alex Sarr, is having a rough summer league. Most recently, Sarr made headlines for his 0-15 performance against the Portland Trailblazers in the NBA summer league. He finished the game with 0 points, three assists, and three blocks.
Now Sarr wasn’t viewed as a perfect prospect by any means, but his poor start has been surprising. Is this an indication of things to come, or is it just a rookie going through growing pains? Having spent the number two overall pick in this NBA draft on Sarr, the Wizards faithful are praying for the latter.
Concern For No. 2 NBA Draft Pick? How To Get Back On Track
Player Profile
Sarr is originally from France but has played in a variety of professional leagues. Beginning in 2019, Sarr played two years with Spain’s Real Madrid as a part of their youth team. In 2021, he found his way to the Overtime Elite program in the U.S. which has been a recent filter system for NBA talent. For his final year before becoming draft eligible, Sarr signed a contract with the NBL’s Perth Wildcats in Australia. The NBL’s program boasts that they’ve seen eight players drafted since their inception, with three being lottery picks. NBA players LaMelo Ball, Josh Giddey, Ousmane Dieng, and RJ Hampton are among the most notable alumni.
For anyone who’s watched Sarr’s game, you will know that the defensive end of the floor is where he shines best. Elite shot-blocking and mobility at seven-foot-one are seen as easily projectable traits that should translate even at the NBA level. Sarr’s weakness as a prospect coming into the NBA draft however was just how raw he was offensively. In our draft profile on Sarr, this is exactly what was pointed out. The article quotes,
“Sarr’s primary weakness as an NBA draft prospect, however, comes in terms of his offensive polish and shot creation. He’s by no means a finished product on offense just yet, and what teams are excited about are only seen in flashes.”
Up to this point in summer league, this profile has really come to light. Sarr has been effective on defense, but his offense has been abysmal and inconsistent at best. He’s averaging 6.7 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game, but he’s shooting 19.5 percent from the field! His NBA draft report certainly said that he was raw on offense, but no one thought it would be this raw.
Getting Back On Track
Now it’s not time to use the ‘bust’ label quite yet. Yes, Sarr’s performance has been extremely underwhelming, but he’s only played three NBA summer league games. His career quite literally hasn’t started yet in terms of official NBA action. So what can Sarr do to get back on track and prove his NBA draft status?
In essence, Sarr needs to be more reserved in his shot selection. It feels that he’s been forcing the issue somewhat in Summer League thus far. It’s understandable given the expectations placed on him, but this isn’t his game just yet. We have to remember that Sarr was a role player in his professional league this past season. Despite Sarr being the number two pick in the NBA draft, he never started a game in the NBL last season. Sarr averaged 9.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game as a sixth man off the bench. He shined as a defensive chess piece who filled the ‘vertical spacer’ role on offense.
Sarr needs to be involved in more screen and role actions that could earn him lob-dunk opportunities at the rim. Also, rather than starting games firing from the perimeter, sitting in the ‘dunker-spot’ may be more fruitful. These two strategies provide easier field goal attempts that will allow him to establish rhythm before taking more difficult perimeter jumpers. This is especially true given that he actually has a great guard to pair up with in fellow rookie Carlton ‘Bub’ Carrington. Carrington is averaging 19.0 points, 6.0 assists, and 5.6 rebounds operating as a combo guard in three games.
Last Word On Alex Sarr
It’s certainly not time to quit on Sarr, especially when considering his effective defensive abilities. Averaging three blocks per game is pretty impressive. Yes, his offensive game is definitely not where many thought it to be, but at least he’s taking the shots to improve. Sarr may never be the number one guy for an NBA team, but there may not be that guy in this entire NBA draft class. Sarr will need the right player development personnel to really hone his role and overall polish as a player. He has the upside and physical gifts to be a very effective NBA player though. If the shot begins to fall at just an average rate, at worst the Wizards may have a Dereck Lively who can stretch the floor.
Granted, ‘upside’ is always a tricky word to describe someone with. In reality, upside means that the present isn’t the final product. Sometimes the player gets to where they’re supposed to go, and sometimes they fall short. Sarr will have to find his own path, but there’s certainly still a bright future.
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