Wizards center Alex Sarr frequently displays the defensive potential that made him the No. 2 pick in last year’s draft, but he still has room to grow, writes Varun Shankar of The Washington Post. Sarr is tied for sixth in the league with 1.5 blocked shots per game, although some of his underlying numbers put him far behind the league’s top rim protectors.
Shankar notes that entering Friday’s game, Sarr is allowing opponents to shoot 64.9% on shots inside of six feet, which is third highest in the league among players who have been in at least 30 games and faced at least six such shots per game. Opponents are shooting 3.3 points worse than normal when he’s the primary defender in those situations. By comparison, Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren leads in that category at 18.3 points worse, while Memphis’s Jaren Jackson Jr. is minus-14.2 and Evan Mobley is minus-8.7. Shankar acknowledges that they’re more established than Sarr, but he points out that their numbers were also better than his in their rookie seasons.
“Getting stronger, working on my body, all of this is going to improve,” Sarr said. “I think I’ll come back even better (as) a rim protector.”
There’s more on the Wizards:
- Veteran swingman Khris Middleton has been declared out for Sunday at Miami, which will be his ninth straight missed game. Coach Brian Keefe told reporters on Friday that Middleton was likely done for the season due to a right knee contusion, Shankar adds. He appeared in 14 games after being acquired from Milwaukee at the trade deadline and holds a $34MM player option for next season.
- Saddiq Bey has also been officially ruled out for Sunday, which means he’ll complete his first season with the Wizards without any game action, Shankar tweets. Bey, who’s recovering from an ACL tear he suffered in March of 2024 while with Atlanta, signed a three-year, $20MM contract in free agency last summer. He began practicing with Washington’s G League affiliate last month.
- AJ Johnson has been spectacular at times in his first opportunity at regular NBA minutes, Shankar states in a separate story. The rookie shooting guard, who came to Washington in the same deal as Middleton, is averaging 8.9 points per game since the trade but is connecting at just 38.2% from the field and 23.8% from three-point range. He only got into seven games with the Bucks before the deal. “The more I play, I just feel like I’m getting better and better and understanding more,” Johnson said. “I’m just excited to keep playing.” Shankar also traces Johnson’s unconventional road to the NBA, which included time at four high schools and a season in Australia’s National Basketball League.