Alex Sarr didn’t make ESPN’s top 100 for the 2026-27 NBA season, and that should give the Wizards big man plenty to chew on.
ESPN dropped its annual ranking on Tuesday, with the upcoming season set to begin in less than a month. Washington did get one player recognized: 2026 No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa landed at No.
- But Sarr, now entering his third year, was nowhere to be found.
For Wizards fans, it’s another familiar reminder of how easily this team and its players can get brushed aside by the wider NBA conversation. And while ESPN can point to the fact that Sarr still hasn’t played meaningful basketball through his first two seasons, the omission still feels like a shot at a player who made real progress last year.
That progress is the key here. After a rough rookie season, Sarr took a clear step forward in year two.
The 2024 No. 2 overall pick improved his field goal percentage, his three-point percentage, his free-throw percentage, his rebounds per game, his assists per game, his blocks and his points per game. In other words, the Wizards saw the kind of growth that justified their belief in him.
That’s why leaving him off the list stands out so much. Third-year guard/forward Kyshawn George was also left off, but Sarr was a blue-chip prospect who has, so far, played to expectations. Add in the arrival of four-time All-Star floor general Trae Young, whose best trait is setting up others - especially big men - and the path is there for Sarr to push himself into top-100 territory.
If anything, the snub might be exactly what Washington wants. ESPN at least put Sarr on a short list of players who just missed the cut, and that kind of slight can be fuel. What better way to light a fire under him than to leave him off altogether?
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