Alex Sarr is expected to be eased into training camp, but the Wizards still believe he’ll be ready when the regular season opens on October 21.
General manager Will Dawkins said Thursday that Sarr will be a partial participant when camp begins next week, according to Josh Robbins of The Athletic. Even with that limitation, Dawkins said the expectation remains that the No. 2 pick in the 2024 draft will be available for opening night.
Sarr’s offseason has already included surgery in June to repair a fracture in his right foot. The injury happened during a workout, and the early reporting on the recovery timeline pointed to a full return by opening night.
The foot issue was just the latest setback in a rookie season that was interrupted repeatedly. Sarr played only 48 games because of toe, adductor, hamstring, calf and ankle injuries, but when he was on the floor he gave Washington real production, averaging 16.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.0 blocks in 27.2 minutes per game.
That kind of impact is part of why he’s expected to matter so much in a remodeled Wizards frontcourt. Washington has added Anthony Davis and Deandre Ayton, and the team is trying to get back to the postseason after three straight seasons of winning between 15 and 18 games.
Dawkins said the biggest area of improvement from last season is up front. In discussing the team’s frontcourt depth, he called Davis a “starting-level center” and Ayton “probably the best backup” in the NBA.
He also addressed Davis’ outlook, even while declining to get into the specifics of the extension talks the team and Davis decided to postpone. Dawkins said Davis is “in a great frame of mind” and added, “I would say he’s very much a motivated player right now,” and “And I expect AD to remind the basketball world who he really is.” Davis was limited to 20 games last season, all with Dallas.
Looking ahead to 2026/27, Dawkins pointed to player development, depth, youth, and positional size as the Wizards’ biggest strengths.
He also voiced strong confidence in head coach Brian Keefe, saying he has “full confidence” in Keefe’s ability to keep developing the young roster and to “take us into the next phase of Wizards basketball.” Dawkins said the coaching staff is “better” and “deeper” this season, citing the addition of Steve Clifford as an advisor and Patrick Ewing and Cody Toppert as assistant coaches.
In Other News...
Deandre Ayton Faces An Awkward Wizards Role He Cant Ignore
Deandre Ayton is entering a very different kind of season in Washington, and it starts with a role change he cannot miss. After arriving in a recent trade, the former longtime starter is now expected to fit behind Anthony Davis and Alex Sarr, a setup that asks him to adjust from being a regular centerpiece to a reserve option in the Wizards frontcourt rotation.
General manager Will Dawkins made clear this is the plan, and it puts the spotlight on how Ayton handles the transition. For a player who has spent almost his entire NBA career in the starting five, accepting a backup job is more than a routine roster wrinkle, it is a test of fit, maturity and how much the Wizards can count on him to embrace a different kind of contribution. [Read more 🡒]
Wizards Rebuild Enters A Season That Finally Demands A Real Identity
The Wizards are still in the middle of a patient rebuild, but the next step is supposed to feel more defined. General manager Will Dawkins has been stressing gradual development as Washington keeps leaning on a young core built around several recent first-round picks, with the emphasis now shifting from simply collecting talent to shaping a more coherent style of play on both ends.
Dawkins has made it clear the organization wants this group to grow into something faster, more connected and harder to play against defensively. For a team trying to climb out of the Easts bottom tier, that means the youth movement remains the long-term priority even as the standards around pace, ball movement and rim protection get sharper by the month. [Read more 🡒]