Alex Sarr is Turning a Corner

The number two pick in the 2024 NBA Draft has had an impressive stretch of games. Alex Sarr has been more physical, has shot far more efficiently, and recently had his best game in the league. He’s showing everyone what the Wizards’ saw when they drafted him, and it’s come at a good time. Let’s explore Sarr’s impressive recent play.

The season hasn’t been the best for the entire roster. However, the same cannot be said for the Wizards’ rookie trio as of late. Kyshawn George, Bub Carrington, and Sarr have all been contributing far above what they were to start the season. Sarr has been a key focus in unlocking the offense, and he’s shown what he could become headed into his second season and beyond.

Sarr’s Improved Scoring and Shooting

Sarr hasn’t been incredible from anywhere on the floor this season. However, he’s improved his overall scoring and shooting splits recently. In the last three games, Sarr is averaging 24.3 points while shooting 46.4% from the field on 18.7 attempts and shooting 45.8 from three. All of these numbers are far above his season averages. Throughout the season, he’s averaged 12.5 points, shot 39.3% from the field, and 32.3% from three. That’s a 7% jump from the field and a staggering 13% jump from three.

His teammates can play a role in that, as just about the entire team has improved their shooting from the beginning of the season. Which in turn will have the defense focused on slowing everyone down, freeing up opportunities. The Wizards certainly love this new look. Rolling into the offseason, they can find a pairing for Sarr in the draft to help maximize his opportunities on offense. The newfound shooting ability helped lead the team to a win against Denver earlier this week. Sarr dropped a career-high 34 points, going toe-to-toe with one of the league’s best Nikola Jokic.

All-Around Effort

Sarr’s shooting has certainly improved. However, Sarr has been doing other things well during the Wizards’ best month of the season. Since March, Sarr has been averaging 6.6 rebounds and 3 assists, and his defensive stats have noticeably improved. While these numbers aren’t eye-opening, digging into them will show where the improvement has been.

Sarr on the season is averaging 6.6 rebounds so no change. However, there has been a noticeable improvement in his physicality. As a result, he’s grabbing 2.6 offensive boards a game in March. Compare that to the season average of just under two (1.9) it’s a good sign moving forward. On the season, Sarr has eight double-doubles, with two coming in March alone.

Sarr’s improved assists could be chopped up as his teammates are shooting better, and players have been swapping in and out of the starting lineup. However, when you take into account that this number has improved steadily since December, it’s worth a look. In his last nine games, he has not had less than two assists in any of them. In the game against Denver, not only did he score his career-high, but he also tied his assist high of five.

Then comes the defense. Sarr has been impressive with the interior all season, ranking 8th in blocks per game and 15th in total blocks all year. However, these last few games reinforce the true dominance Sarr has at rejecting opponents. In the last seven games, Sarr has been averaging two blocks per game. He had four blocks in the Wizards’ win against Detroit in the second game of the back-to-back earlier this week.

Can Sarr Keep Improving?

April holds the last seven games for the Wizards’ in what has been a resurgence for them as of late. Going into the offseason, if Sarr can keep up the solid work, there will be more than enough film to go over for the front office. Making a smart pick in the draft and picking up the right pieces in free agency could help sure up Sarr’s weaknesses going into next season. Maximizing the position-less seven-footer needs to be a Wizards’ priority going into next season.

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