Photo by Candice Ward/Getty Images
The No. 2 pick put up one of the worst box score lines you will ever see at Las Vegas Summer League.
Alex Sarr was just scratching the surface of his long-term potential when he entered the 2024 NBA Draft. The 7’1 French big man wasn’t emphatically productive in a smaller role playing in Australia’s NBL league, but his overwhelming combination of length and athleticism made him one of the draft’s best long-term bets. A lot of people viewed Sarr as the front-runner to go No. 1 overall before the Atlanta Hawks zeroed in on Zaccharie Risacher, and the Washington Wizards were thrilled to scoop him up with the No. 2 pick.
Sarr seemed to show a preference for playing for the Wizards rather than the Hawks during the pre-draft process, perhaps in part because Washington could give him more offensive freedom with something of a blank slate roster. That could be a good thing for Sarr in the long-term as he could certainly use all the reps he can get, but in the short-term it’s already creating some ugly moments in Las Vegas Summer League.
Sarr played one of the worst games you will ever see from a top draft pick in Summer League. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a worse box score line in my life. As the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Wizards, 82-80, Sarr’s terrible night was shared far and wide.
Sarr ended the game with zero points in 30 minutes by shooting 0-for-15 from the field. He shot 0-for-7 from three-point range, and missed both of his free throw attempts. He did grab nine rebounds, dish out three assists, and block three shots, but his offensive ineptitude is the real story.
Watch all of Sarr’s three-point misses here:
He also wasn’t attacking the basket with much force in his matchup against fellow top-10 pick Donovan Clingan:
It just feels like Sarr isn’t ready for such a long lease offensively. Ideally, he would be paired with a savant point guard who could frequently set him up …. but Trae Young’s Hawks decided to pass, and the Wizards don’t have anyone like that currently on the roster.
Sarr’s long-term upside feels so tantalizing because he’s so tall, so fast, and so coordinated attacking in the open floor. He often puts his tools to use on the defensive end, but for whatever reason it doesn’t always translate offensively. He prefers to settle for jump shots rather than attacking the rim, and he’s not comfortable finishing with creativity against length yet. The three-point shot should be the cherry on top of his offensive arsenal, but right now, it feels like he wants to make it the foundation. His shot isn’t anywhere close to ready for this type of volume.
In three games in Las Vegas so far, Sarr is shooting 8-of-41 (19.5 percent) from the field, and 2-of-17 (11.8 percent) from three-point range. He’s 7’1 and a great athlete! You would think he would come into some easy buckets by accident, but that’s never really the case.
Sarr needs to focus more on being an energy guy early in his career. He needs to hit the offensive glass, flush home feeds from the dunker’s spot, and catch lobs. He could really benefit from adding more craft to his finishing. With Tyus Jones still unsigned, though, it’s fair to wonder if the Wizards are even trying to pair Sarr with the type of floor general who could potentially unlock his play finishing skills.
A certain amount of freedom for Sarr as a rookie is perfectly fine and likely beneficial down the road, but the Wizards also have to try to put their rookie in the best position to succeed. Right now, Sarr is playing with such a noticeable lack of force that it’s rending all of his gifts useless on offense.
The guy the Wizards passed on with the No. 2 pick, Reed Sheppard, has been fantastic in his opening games with the Summer Rockets. The Wizards had the right idea by going for a high upside big man at the start of a rebuild, but they also can’t afford a big miss. An easy first step for Sarr would be promising himself to play with a higher motor. There’s just not reason for someone this big and this athletic to go scoreless with 15 shot attempts.
