The Washington Wizards future is riding on President of Basketball Operations Michael Winger, general manager Will Dawkins and potentially Brian Keefe depending on how long he's the head coach of the team during this Wizards rebuild.
Beyond the current regime, the team is depending on the young cores development, and one of the biggest developmental pieces is reigning No. 2 overall pick Alex Sarr.
The French product was drafted with high hopes after many believed he could be the top pick in the NBA draft heading into the offseason last year. However, after off the court decisions impacted Sarr's decision to not workout with the Atlanta Hawks who held the top pick in the draft.
Landing in Washington, it seemed like the Wizards may have stolen the top talent of all the prospects, leaving. the franchise in a hopeful position post draft night. That was, until the Summer League came. Sarr absolutely stunk his rookie Summer League experience up and led the Wizards and their fans understanding a superstar first season for the big man was likely not in the cards.
And while he's shown flashes throughout his rookie campaign, he's also shown that unless he can bypass his current struggles, it may be doubtful he ever develops into a star in the NBA.
Sarr has to improve as a post scorer
Alex Sarr is averaging 11.8 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game on the season, and while those stats don't look bizarre, it doesn't tell the whole story. The 19-year-old is shooting an abysmal 38.9% from field goal range, and most of his misses have come from his lack of ability to utilize his size in the post.
At 7-feet, Sarr should be dominating in the post, especially if he hopes to be the building block the team drafted him to be. However, the big man hasn't been able to look the part up to this point, at least not on offense.
Defensively, Sarr has shown plenty of promise as a capable defender at the next level averaging 1.5 blocks per game and just under 1 steal per game at 0.7. And while his defense will be important through his pro career, developing a consistent offensive game, especially in the post could open up so much of his game.
The talent is there, but unless he can figure out how to overcome these current struggles, it's hard to put any faith in him taking that leap into a stardom.