Alex Sarr heads to Washington.
Sarr, who many had long expected to be the first overall pick, was selected by the Wizards with the second pick in the NBA Draft on Wednesday night. This makes Sarr the second Frenchman selected in the draft after the Atlanta Hawks passed him over Zaccharie Risacher.
The move was the second major move the Wizards made on Wednesday afternoon. The franchise reached a deal to send Deni Avdija to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Malcolm Brogdon, the No. 14 overall pick in this year’s draft and a 2029 pick.
Sarr is easily one of the best players in this year’s draft. The 19-year-old center is a great rim protector and pick-and-pop threat on offense. At 7-foot-1, Sarr can become a dominant two-way player in the league.
Alex Sarr, the second French teenager off the board in this year’s draft, spent last season with the Perth Wildcats in Australia. (Paul Kane//Keynote USA/Getty Images)
He shined in the Australian league last season with the Perth Wildcats, where he scored 9.7 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. Sarr helped lead the team to the semifinals of the NBL playoffs before officially declaring for the NBA Draft. He is now the highest pick in the National Basketball League draft, passing LaMelo Ball, who went third overall in 2020.
“My versatility on the court went to another level this season,” Sarr told KeynoteUSA in April. “My consistency improved. On offense, I was able to play inside and out, make good reads on defense in pick-and-roll coverages.”
Still a teenager, Sarr has already played all over the world. He signed with Real Madrid when he was just 14 years old and then played with Overtime Elite for two seasons before joining Perth. Sarr’s older brother, Olivier Sarr, just finished his third season in the league with the Oklahoma City Thunder organization, although he tore his left Achilles tendon in the G League Finals earlier this spring.
Sarr has practically been considered a lock for the Wizards shortly after he declined to work out with the Hawks before the draft. Although he didn’t go into detail about that decision, he seemed confident and enjoyed his training with the Wizards.
“I have a great team around me… I trust them,” Sarr said Tuesday. via Ben Golliver of the Washington Post. “I’m not going to go into detail about where I worked out and where I didn’t.”
Still, Sarr is a much better fit in Washington than he was in Atlanta. The Wizards don’t have a true center or much interior play after trading Daniel Gafford last season. Sarr will be able to jump right in and start developing from the jump, which should benefit him in the long run, considering the Wizards likely won’t be very good again.
The franchise went 15-67 last season and missed the playoffs for the third straight time. The team also parted ways with head coach Wes Unseld Jr. and has since hired first-time head coach Brian Keefe to take his place. The Wizards are still in rebuilding mode and could be in position for another top pick a year from now.
Although it will take time, Sarr could be the first true piece of that puzzle.
Keynote USA
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