Alex Sarr

[dobrojim]

Wemby took it to Sarr like Shaq did with Shawn Bradley.

In terms of scoring yes. But Shaq shot from 3 ft or closer. VW was draining what were
nearly logo shots.

(didn't notice Zards made the same comment)

[tontoz]

Wemby took it to Sarr like Shaq did with Shawn Bradley.

In terms of scoring yes. But Shaq shot from 3 ft or closer. VW was draining what were
nearly logo shots.

(didn't notice Zards made the same comment)

Sengun and Jaren Jackson did abuse Sarr inside over and over to score their season highs. I haven't seen Sarr play good man D against any big.

[dobrojim]

Probably won't see that tonight vs BOS either. I'd be surprised if the score was within 10 points.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Was watching the Bucks-Bulls game last night and admiring how Giannis was dominating.

I drifted into a possibly far fetched fantasy about Sarr. What kind of numbers did Giannis
put up in his first 2-3 years? My memory is hazy and I'm too lazy to look it up
but my recollection is that it took him at least 3 years to begin to resemble
the player he became. I remember him as a skinny kid with little impact.
I've been visting and contributing a little to the WaPo sports page and
commenting on some of the harsh (as I see it) criticism of
Sarr which I see as premature given his age. My wet dream is he becomes
something like Giannis/Mobley or Bam. The kid is only 19. I'm not gonna say
I think he will become something like any of those guys as there is also a
possibility he becomes more like countless other players who never reached
that level. But he (Sarr) does have some gifts and potential. Of course how
well he realizes his potential is an open question. It's obviously early days.

But since we're losing so bad, what else are we gonna talk about?

dobrojim,

Journey recorded, "Don't Stop Believing."

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/a/antetgi01.html

Indeed, Alexander Sarr is playing as well as rookie Giannis. It is far fetched but NOT impossible that Sarr can develop into a star one day.

[dckingsfan]

We still have two in the top 10!

https://www.nba.com/news/kia-rookie-ladder-november-20-2024-edition

[dckingsfan]

Wemby took it to Sarr like Shaq did with Shawn Bradley.

In terms of scoring yes. But Shaq shot from 3 ft or closer. VW was draining what were nearly logo shots.

(didn't notice Zards made the same comment)

Sengun and Jaren Jackson did abuse Sarr inside over and over to score their season highs. I haven't seen Sarr play good man D against any big.

Kind of his "issue". He really needs to play with another rim protector (at this point). But there really isn't one that works with him on this roster.

[Dark Faze]

Still very concerned about efficiency. When the goal eventually becomes "okay, lets win now", he's going to have to either have improved efficiency to the point of being able to maintain that style of play or the green light on the way he plays on that end of the court will be turned off suddenly or significantly diminished. And if we get either of Flagg or Bailey in the off-season, he's going to be forced to play the 5.

I do encourage him to experiment and try to reach whatever ceiling he believes he has offensively, but I'm also aware that shooting improvement tends to have a limited range of improvement. He'd need to exceed the normal level of improvement significantly just to get into averagely bad shooter territory, which would be okay if paired with elite defense.

[DCZards]

I do encourage him to experiment and try to reach whatever ceiling he believes he has offensively, but I'm also aware that shooting improvement tends to have a limited range of improvement.

I believe the opposite is true. Shooting is an area where a player can improve significantly over time. Many have.

For example, Evan Mobley, a player Sarr is often compared to, shot 25% from 3 his rookie season and 22% his second year. Last year, he shot 37% from 3 and this year he’s shooting 38%.

Deni is another example. While his 3pt shooting is down this season, he went from 31% his rookie season to 37% last year.

But shooting aside, I’m most excited about Sarr’s potential to be a game changer on defense. His combo of size, length, fluidity, and athleticism is rare. That’s Sarr’s secret sauce and why I wanted him with the second pick.

[tontoz]

I do encourage him to experiment and try to reach whatever ceiling he believes he has offensively, but I'm also aware that shooting improvement tends to have a limited range of improvement.

I believe the opposite is true. Shooting is an area where a player can improve significantly over time. Many have.

For example, Evan Mobley, a player Sarr is often compared to, shot 25% from 3 his rookie season and 22% his second year. Last year, he shot 37% from 3 and this year he’s shooting 38%.

Deni is another example. While his 3pt shooting is down this season, he went from 31% his rookie season to 37% last year.

But shooting aside, I most excited about Sarr’s potential to be a game changer on defense. His combo of size, length, fluidity, and athleticism is rare. That’s Sarr’s secret sauce and why I wanted him with the second pick.

I am concerned about his efficiency and his defense lol

His efficiency isn't just bad from 3, it's also bad on 2s. His shooting 46% on 2s which is awful for a big. Mobley's career worst from 2 was 54% his rookie year.

Sarr's man defense against other bigs has been bad. He is weak and his length is just ok for a center, making him an easy target.

[DCZards]

I do encourage him to experiment and try to reach whatever ceiling he believes he has offensively, but I'm also aware that shooting improvement tends to have a limited range of improvement.

I believe the opposite is true. Shooting is an area where a player can improve significantly over time. Many have.

For example, Evan Mobley, a player Sarr is often compared to, shot 25% from 3 his rookie season and 22% his second year. Last year, he shot 37% from 3 and this year he’s shooting 38%.

Deni is another example. While his 3pt shooting is down this season, he went from 31% his rookie season to 37% last year.

But shooting aside, I most excited about Sarr’s potential to be a game changer on defense. His combo of size, length, fluidity, and athleticism is rare. That’s Sarr’s secret sauce and why I wanted him with the second pick.

I am concerned about his efficiency and his defense lol

His efficiency isn't just bad from 3, it's also bad on 2s. His shooting 46% on 2s which is awful for a big. Mobley's career worst from 2 was 54% his rookie year.

Sarr's man defense against other bigs has been bad. He is weak and his length is just ok for a center, making him an easy target.

All of the things you say are true. And I’m not dismissing or overlooking any of these issues.

But aren’t some of these problems to be expected given that Sarr is an inexperienced, skinny 19 yr old?

What I like is the raw potential that I see in the youngin.

[nate33]

Right now, Sarr is a terrible basketball player. His one above average skill is defensive switchability, and he's at least average if not better as a rotating help defender. He's awful at everything else (post defense, perimeter shooting, interior finishing, rebounding, screening).

But we knew all this going in. It's totally reasonable to project that Sarr will become a better post defender, screener and rebounder as he adds strength, and he'll get incrementally better as a rotating help defender as he adds experience. If all that comes together, he will be a very good, well-rounded defensive player who should be incredible as a mobile help defender and hopefully at least adequate as an on-ball post defender and rebounder.

But being a good defender alone isn't enough. Good defenders who provide nothing on offense can get played off the floor in a playoff series. If Sarr is to become a quality starter for a contender, he will need to develop at least one consistent offensive skill so that defenses have to account for him. That skill could be a reliable spot-up 3-point shot like Miles Turner or Brook Lopez. Or better yet, true pick-and-pop 3-point shooting like Porzingis or Chet. Or it could be elite roll man finishing skills like Gafford or Gobert; or elite screening and short-roll passing like Draymond Green; or a face-up slashing game like Giannis or Anthony Davis.

Right now, he's a long way away from having any of these in his bag. It looks like they're letting him explore everything rather than having him focus on one skill and hone it. That may not be the best way to develop him, but I'll defer to Vanterpool and company on that. They see him every day in practice and surely know more than I do.

[payitforward]

That's an outstanding analysis, nate.

The only thing to add, maybe, is that when you see a kid like him who is obviously an extremely gifted athlete & a bright individual, one main question is desire -- how much does he want it? How hard is he willing to work to get it?

In the end, we'll just have to wait & see.

[DCZards]

Well done, Nate. Can’t say I disagree with any of it.

I’m a little surprised that they’re not running more pick-and-pop or pick-and-roll with Sarr now…instead of having him roaming around the perimeter taking ill-advised 3pters.

As you’ve pointed out in the past, Sarr’s hands are a problem. Hopefully, they also get stronger and better.

[nate33]

I'll add that, while right now his offense is really bad, he has shown occasional flashes of potential at many different things. It's not out of the question that he does indeed develop an impressive pick-and-pop game, or a face-up slashing game, or a terrific short-roll passing game, or maybe even a turnaround jumper.

[tontoz]

I believe the opposite is true. Shooting is an area where a player can improve significantly over time. Many have.

For example, Evan Mobley, a player Sarr is often compared to, shot 25% from 3 his rookie season and 22% his second year. Last year, he shot 37% from 3 and this year he’s shooting 38%.

Deni is another example. While his 3pt shooting is down this season, he went from 31% his rookie season to 37% last year.

But shooting aside, I most excited about Sarr’s potential to be a game changer on defense. His combo of size, length, fluidity, and athleticism is rare. That’s Sarr’s secret sauce and why I wanted him with the second pick.

I am concerned about his efficiency and his defense lol

His efficiency isn't just bad from 3, it's also bad on 2s. His shooting 46% on 2s which is awful for a big. Mobley's career worst from 2 was 54% his rookie year.

Sarr's man defense against other bigs has been bad. He is weak and his length is just ok for a center, making him an easy target.

All of the things you say are true. And I’m not dismissing or overlooking any of these issues.

But aren’t some of these problems to be expected given that Sarr is an inexperienced, skinny 19 yr old?

What I like is the raw potential that I see in the youngin.

There are young guys drafted every year. Carrington is even younger but he is already productive on both ends.

What potential has he shown aside from weak side shot blocking? I haven't seen much.

[Jstock12]

It's far more difficult to hit the ground running in the NBA as a skinny front court player than a perimeter one. The lack of strength negatively affects almost all of the areas of a big man's game. This is why you usually see big men reach their peak much later than guards do. I'd give Sarr at least a couple of seasons before making any judgments. Siakam got drafted when he was like 4 years older than Sarr and he didn't look like anything he is now in his first couple of seasons. This is a long process.

[DCZards]

Great game for Sarr tonight against Indy. 17 pts. (on a variety of offensive moves), 14 rebs, 2 blks, and 3 assists.

[Despy]

Yeah lets not act like he has bronny james level of offensive potential. He can score, now.

[tontoz]

Nice to see him hitting the boards but a 50% TS is still lame.

[penbeast0]

Pretty decent for a guy who was listed as questionable. We understand both Sarr and the team are in the very rough stages of work in progress.