The Washington Wizards have a lot of moving parts right now, and Alex Sarr is one of the names that still demands attention.
With Trae Young, Anthony Davis and Deandre Ayton absorbing minutes in a rotation built around hand-picked prospects, the pressure has shifted onto Washington’s young players to show they can hold up every night. The early 2-1 start has given the group something real to point at, and a handful of recent starters-turned-backups have already flashed in useful roles: Kyshawn George as a tertiary-scoring on-ball option, Bub Carrington as a reserve spark, Bilal Coulibaly as a workable stand-in for Dybantsa’s athletic juice, and Tre Johnson as the kind of shooter who can find points no matter the coverage.
Sarr took a little longer than some of the others to settle in. But against the Chicago Bulls this past weekend, he looked far more like the kind of prospect Washington drafted second overall in the 2024 NBA Draft. He finished with season highs of 10 points and 3 blocks, and the bigger takeaway was less the box score than the way he played: aggressive, engaged, and much more comfortable in the scheme.
The fit isn’t simple, though. Washington’s big-man group of Sarr, Davis and Ayton creates real spacing headaches, especially with Ayton refusing to stray far from the rim.
That leaves Davis and Sarr trying to balance their perimeter tendencies with the value they bring closer to the basket. A Davis iso from 20-plus feet or a Sarr corner three can pop, but the larger truth remains that all three are best served working near the paint whenever possible.
Sarr’s best moments continue to come when he avoids settling. He’s at his most effective when he attacks straight at the rim instead of leaning into jumpers, and he’s also made it clear that he understands that. His most consistent production has come from direct drives and strong finishes, not from floating around the perimeter.
There have already been flashes of why Washington is so interested in expanding his role. In transition, he runs the floor with purpose.
As a screener, he’s willing to set picks well beyond the 3-point line. When he gets a runway, he can turn entry passes into dunks that show off just how much ground he can cover with a full head of steam.
What’s especially encouraging is that the scoring isn’t the whole story. Sarr’s passing feel and off-ball instincts have stood out too.
That part of his game has followed him since he was selected in 2024, when evaluators were drawn to his two-way ceiling despite questions about the look of his shot. He can make decisions on the move, and once defenses load up on him, he’s shown he can find the next pass.
That has already mattered with Davis. Through Washington’s first three regular season games, Davis has finished on every big-to-big lob attempt or interior dump-off Sarr has created. The connection has also produced a few baskets for Sarr, who is starting to show how well he can time cuts into open space.
The numbers back up the shift in role, too. Sarr’s 20% assist percentage looks even more impressive next to a 13.5% usage rate, which is nearly half of what he posted last season. He’s being asked to do less on the ball, but he’s making more of what’s in front of him.
That added purpose has started to show up on defense as well. Sarr had not blocked a shot before registering three against Chicago. As he keeps blending the offensive activity with the defensive impact, Washington’s ceiling gets clearer.
The Wizards may have kept his role under wraps entering the season while they worked through the spacing issues that come with multiple rolling bigs, but the early returns suggest they’ve found something worth leaning into. Using Sarr as a corner-crasher and short-roll processor looks like a real answer, and Washington would be wise to keep investing in the upside that makes him such a natural complement to Young and such an important part of the team’s future at center.
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For Washington fans following the wider conference picture, it was another reminder of how thin the margins can be when a game is hanging in the balance. The missed call did not erase the Bulls uneven middle stretch, but it did leave one more hard-to-accept moment attached to a loss that will sit with Chicago for a while. [Read more 🡒]
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The bigger question for Washington is how much that buy-in changes the shape of the rotation as the season settles in. Ayton has been praised for embracing the assignment and helping the teams early-season performance, which puts the Wizards in an intriguing spot if he keeps giving them quality minutes off the bench. For now, the front office has a useful problem on its hands: a former top-tier starter willing to work as a reserve, and a frontcourt setup that may need to be revisited if his play keeps trending in the right direction. [Read more 🡒]