Alex Sarr has plenty of eyes on him heading into his sophomore season with the Washington Wizards.
There's no denying that as a rookie, the former No. 2 overall pick struggled to meet expectations placed on him.
Obviously, as a top three pick, expectations were high, regardless if they were fair or not.
Sarr struggled at some areas of the game, but that's not to say he didn't flourish in other areas.
The big man may not have proven to be an offensive threat, but what he showcased as a defender made it clear that is there was anyway he could impact the game on a consistent basis, it would be as a defensive anchor.
Between his elite size, enormous wing span, outstanding defensive instincts and ability to switch on the defensive end, Sarr proved to be a big-time player, even if it was mainly on one side of the court.
Offensively, the big man's struggles around the rim were evident early on. Not only was he inefficient from field goal range, but his timidness around the basket impacted his play on the offensive end.
Entering the offseason, it was clear that the one area that needed the most improvement was Sarr's confidence doing big man things, especially considering his size at 7-foot.
Fortunately, Sarr made that a point of emphasis and made it clear that was a focus during his offseason.
Alex Sarr noted that he’s working on shooting closer to the basket this offseason.
— Bijan Todd (@bijan_todd) September 29, 2025
His rookie year, he often looked timid getting to the hoop. Something to keep an eye on heading into Year 2. pic.twitter.com/55oHFdcCiB
Sarr making it a point of emphasis to work on shooting closer to the basket this offseason could be a game changer for his development with the Wizards.
There's no doubt that he's already shown stretches throughout his time with the Wizards, especially in Summer League, and Team France in FIBA EuroBasket play that he could be a fine stretch five for Washington.
However, if he's able to become a consistent threat around the rim, while also improving his game as a stretch big, he could be a nightmare defensively for opposing teams and that's the potential Washington saw when they drafted him.
Becoming a nightmare to defend, while also being a nightmare defensively himself, Sarr has the potential to become one of the best two-way players in the league.
The potential is there and if he's able to take that leap around the basket, Sarr could be in store for a huge sophomore leap that could reassure both the fans and the front office that he can be the cornerstone player they drafted him to be.