The Washington Wizards hit the road for a showdown against the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night.
As the regular season inches closer to an end, the Wizards and their young core have limited games left to allow their young core to continue their development down the stretch. Despite that, the team’s young players continue to stack solid performances as their confidence grows.
For Alex Sarr, his rookie campaign has truly been a tale of two halves. The French product had a rough start to the season, but over the last month or so, the 7-footer has really began to show flashes that have the Wizards confidence in what he has to offer in the future.
On Tuesday, his performance against the Pacers was also a tale of two halves.
Alex Sarr starts strong, fizzles out
Sarr began the game with a confidence in himself that was very evident every time he touched the ball. Through the first 12 minutes of play, the versatile forward racked up 16 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists, while shooting ⅞ from the field, including one three.
The big man looked like he was in line for a career night at the end of the first quarter and the Pacers could feel the pressure that the rookie was applying. However, a big first quarter is seemingly all it was for Sarr, at least in terms of scoring.
Washington looked poised for an upset win against the playoff bound Pacers after a 35-21 lead at the end of the first quarter. However, there abysmal play in the second quarter ultimately held them down in the end losing 104-98.
Sarr finished the matchup with 20 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists, while also adding on 3 blocks on the opposite end of the court.
Although the Wizards young star fizzled out after his huge first quarter, his performance as a whole was more than encouraging for Washington as they continue to build towards the future.
Looking ahead, the Wizards have three games remaining before their pivotal offseason begins.
Not only will the team’s young core be busy putting in work to prepare for what they hope to be a big jump next season, but the Wizards front office has their work cut out for them with multiple big decisions looming between the NBA Draft and free agency.
Nonetheless, Sarr’s strong night shows that the team has at least one key piece in place moving forward regardless of the tale of two halves.