Sarr has upside, but will that be enough to see him selected first on draft night?
[Editor’s note: this is the first half of the scouting report for Alexandre Sarr. Part 2, Sarr’s defense and overall evaluation, will be released tomorrow.]
Having the number one selection in the NBA Draft is, typically, where you want to be come draft night. After all, teams sacrifice entire seasons and sell hopes and dreams to fans who have to fill the seats in rebuilding years, all for the hope that when draft night comes your team is the first to make a selection. And when they do, it comes with a player you know will turn your franchise around and renew hope.
The 2024 NBA Draft, however, sees a number of unusual scenarios.
First, this is not a typical dwindling team selecting first. The team selecting first, the Atlanta Hawks, didn’t mail the season in; they tried to win, had playoff hopes, and it didn’t go as planned. Despite the season being, overall, a failure, they have a chance to add talent to their roster.
Second, this is not a typical draft in terms of talent. There is no consensus number one pick — a Zion Williamson or a Victor Wembanyama, for instance. With these types of players in a draft class, the number one selection makes itself, but this year it’s not as clearcut.
The task facing the Hawks selecting first overall is anything but simple. They could go with the safe selection with Zaccharie Risacher, who would bolster the wing but may not have the upside associated with a number one pick. However, some of the other options, such as Donovan Clingan, play a position where the Hawks aren’t exactly lacking right now at center with Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu impactful players.
Another option at center is 19-year-old French big man Alexandre Sarr.
Sarr has been touted around the first overall selection in many mock drafts as the season has gone on, though of late as more intel has filtered through the selection/workout process (of which the Hawks have not been able to get Sarr in to work out with them). Sarr has now slid out of the top spot in some outlets — we’ll examine this more later.
Having initially signed with Real Madrid when he was 14 years old, Sarr made the decision — like others in this draft — to go to Australia and play in the NBL. A key contributor with the Perth Wildcats, who advanced all the way to the NBL’s semifinals (falling to the eventual champions the Tasmania JackJumpers), Sarr averaged 9.6 points per game on 50% shooting from the field on 7.1 field goal attempts, 27.6% from three on 1.9 attempts, 70.7% from the free throw line on 2.7 attempts, 4.5 rebounds, one assist, 0.4 steals, 1.5 blocks, one turnover, and 1.3 personal fouls in 18 minutes per game in 30 games, per RealGM.
Looking at those averages, obviously Sarr was in a lower usage situation at Perth than ideal, and within that he didn’t shoot the ball from three very well on those few attempts. And you’d always want your center to shoot a bit above 50% but outside of that you like the rebounding and the blocked shots in particular.
What boosts Sarr’s draft stock — as well as his shot blocking — are his elite physicals. Just shy of 7 feet without shoes (but 7 feet on the court for all intents and purposes), a 9-foot 2-inch standing reach, and a 7-foot 4-inch wingspan. Compared to Clingan, Sarr is narrowly behind Clingan in terms of these measurements — however, he gives up nearly 60 pounds, 224 versus 282. Where Sarr makes up is athleticism, achieving a 37-inch max vertical leap to Clingan’s 29 inches, and Sarr also scored much better in his lateral movement tests — all of these measured at the NBA Draft Combine.
Sarr is a very fluid athlete, and his upside in this regard will be something teams are enamored with.
Let’s take a look at it all though: Sarr’s defense — his passing and his offense will come tomorrow.
Defense
Defense is a good place to start with Alex Sarr — it’s his best aspect of his game right now — and there’s no better place to start than Sarr’s shot blocking ability. You will see Sarr’s length, athleticism and sheer size all at play.
On the drive and the subsequent dump off, Sarr rises to reject the shot on this play:
On the drive from mid-court, Sarr initially is facing the wrong way but still manages to get himself into the play, and he blocks the last gasp attempt at the rim:
On this play, Sarr positions himself well behind the offensive player and blocks the shot from behind before claiming the rebound:
On the wing and then on the switch, Sarr stands his ground and goes with the drive before blocking it out of bounds:
Here, Sarr picks up the drive and rejects the shot at the rim — again his size and length aiding in his defensive efforts:
As the help defender this time, Sarr reads the play, and he rotates to emphatically block the shot out of bounds:
In the pick-and-roll, Sarr picks up the ball-handler and blocks the attempted shot inside:
Again, in the pick-and-roll, you can see Sarr display his length, and he uses it to block the shot at the rim:
From the post, even though Sarr is beaten initially on the angle he’s still able to recover and block the shot:
Here, Sarr gets his arms straight up and maintains his verticality to block the shot:
Even if Sarr doesn’t come up with a block, his height and length are deterrents for opposing offenses, and Sarr can still impact shots taken near the rim, and on some jump shots too.
On this play, you can see how much ground Sarr can cover as he goes from the paint to contest this three-pointer in the corner, altering the shot:
Even though Sarr is off his feet here, he’s still able to recover, and his sheer length helps him get a good contest up:
After a switch on a pick-and-roll, Sarr does a good job sticking with the drive and altering the shot:
Sarr is able to pick up on those driving inside, and with his length he always has a decent chance to contest, or make the defense think twice:
Picking up on a drive, it’s hard to deny Sarr’s impact on this attempt, which ends up going off the side of the backboard:
Again, his quickness keeps him in the play and forces the pass to the wing from under the rim. And although the three is made on this occasion, but you can live with that as opposed to an easy two underneath the basket:
His lateral quickness really helps him, and he can provide plays like this where he’s marshalling the ball-handler in a fullcourt scenario and isn’t left behind:
Again, good movement here and Sarr cuts off the offensive player and the turnover is committed:
Sarr uses his length to do more than just block and contest shots, he can be disruptive away from the rim too.
Here on this play, he makes life difficult on the wing, almost getting his hand right underneath the very much protected ball and showcases his activity:
On the switch, despite the ducking and diving, Sarr’s length helps him slap the ball away from the intended target, and he’s credited with the steal:
In the post, Sarr deflects the pass out of the post, and it results in a steal for Sarr:
I enjoy some of Sarr’s work on the dig too, and his length gives him good margin to do this too. This next play is an example of a steal coming from a dig and eventually comes up with the steal, and he is rewarded as he runs to the rim and is found on the alley-oop:
After good movement defensively on the perimeter, Sarr does well to help force a pass and his second effort defensively is a good dig that disrupts the play. But Sarr is just a tad late to react to the situation, and his contest isn’t enough to prevent the basket:
I enjoyed watching Sarr on the defensive end, and there’s a lot to like: he’s athletic, he moves well, he’s got size, he’s long, he blocks shots, he contests/alters shots, he disrupts passes, he’s got some good instincts to time his digs, and he doesn’t foul a lot. There’s a ton of defensive upside here, especially once he begins to fill out his frame which will take some time.
Now let’s talk about some of his drawbacks right now on defense.
Sarr, I think, needs to improve his timing in some instances, more specifically when to rotate and help.
Sarr is a little late on this play to respond to the danger and it results in a basket:
Again, Sarr is a bit late to rotate here and it’s too late to get the block in:
This next play is the type that Sarr needs to get involved in on the help defense — he just watches this one happen in front of him as the basket is scored:
Again, Sarr is just a little late to react to pick up the drive, and by the time he realizes it’s too late and the basket is scored:
The other knock defensively I’d have on Sarr right now is that at his position and whether it’s the four or the five. Right now, Sarr can be shifted physically, and this can lead to opportunities for opposing sides. In Australia, it can be pretty physical at times, and Sarr certainly felt this at times. And while it led to opportunities for the opposition, I think it was an important experience nevertheless.
On this play, Sarr is driven on and is bodied on the play, which puts Sarr on the back foot and is scored on at the rim:
Bobi Klintman gets a head of steam on this play, receives the ball and Sarr is cleared out of the equation by Klintman, and that leads to the basket:
Sarr will add muscle over time and plays like this will be less frequent, but for now it can be an issue for Sarr.
[Editor’s note: Part 2, Sarr’s defense and overall evaluation, will be released tomorrow.]