Alex Sarr has been a major talking point for the Washington Wizards to start the season.
Following his rookie campaign, all eyes were on the former No. 2 overall pick to not only live up to expectations, but prove that Washington didn't make a mistake when swinging on his potential.
Thoughout his trying first season in the league, the jury was out on Sarr's long-term projectory,
Teams believed that the 7-footer was destined to be just a solid role player that could make some defensive stops every now and then.
Looking at his rookie season, those assumptions seemed to be closer to a reality than fans wanted to admit.
Nonethless, the versatile big man went to work this offseason and quickly turned the narrative about his potential around when the regular season came.
Not only has the French product looked like an absolute rising star, but he looks like player the Wizards can build around.
For an organization who's struck out seemingly time and time again, any positives from their recent draft selections is a welcoming sight for both the fanbase and the front office.
Sarr has improved arguably the weakest part of his game, which was his offensive efficiency inside the paint.
However, his offensive improvement isn't the only area of his game the Wizards big man improved.
In fact, the forward improved one major area of his game that many didn't even know he needed to work on.
Alex Sarr has become an elite shot contester
As a rookie, Sarr was known for his defensive versatility.
Between his length, instincts and natural ability to make shots look tough at the rim, many labeled the former No. 2 overall pick as a defensive anchor for the Wizards.
Nonetheless, Sarr's defensive abilities weren't as clean as the hype made it out to be.
Several of Sarr's blocks as a rookie came in help defense or behind the defender, and a large reason why teams entered the season comfortable attacking the big man at the rim was due to his struggles to contest cleanly as a rookie.
Despite that, it's clear that the 20-year-old made that area of his defensive game a priority to work on this offseason as his shot contest at the rim are quietly becoming the most impactful part of his game.
Eventually, opposing squads will learn that Sarr's not the same defender as last year and that challenging him at the rim isn't as easy to do as maybe it once was in year one.
All that to say, Sarr is becoming a dynamic two-way star and if things keep trending in this direction, the Wizards may have found their guy.