This upcoming season will mark the season year of the new Washington Wizards rebuild, which they started when they traded Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis last offseason. Now, it’s all about Alex Sarr.
The Wizards selected the French big man with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, giving them a new franchise centerpiece to start building around.
Alongside fellow rookies Bub Carrington and Kyshawn George, as well as second-year forward Bilal Coulibaly, Sarr will hope to usher in a new era of Wizards basketball.
However, with Sarr comes the biggest question surrounding Wizards.
The Wizards need Alex Sarr to be a star
Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report wrote an article discussing what the biggest question is for every team around the NBA, and for the Wizards, he asked, “Is Alexandre Sarr a star?”
This year’s draft class doesn’t have a Victor Wembanyama. There is no player who will definitely be a superstar in the NBA. But the Wizards took a chance on Sarr.
He has been touted for his elite defensive talent, and he’s shown some promise on the offensive end, too, especially when it comes to driving to the hoop.
Washington will be banking on this potential, as his NBL stats from this past season aren’t incredible. He only played 18.0 minutes per game with the Perth Wildcats.
In the 30 games he appeared in, Sarr averaged 9.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.0 assists while shooting 50.0% from the field and 27.6% from behind the three-point line.
As the Wizards get set for next year, they will invest a lot into Sarr. They even brought in veteran big man Jonas Valanciunas to give him a mentor and take some pressure off of him on the court.
If Sarr can start developing into a star next year, then the Wizards rebuild will look completely different, as they will have two elite defenders in him and Coulibaly leading the way.
That said, nothing is guaranteed. If Sarr doesn’t end up being a star like they want him to, things could look a lot different in Washington.
The Wizards want Sarr to be a star.