Jul 12, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Washington Wizards center Alex Sarr (12) competes against the Atlanta Hawks during the second half at Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

Alex Sarr's Summer League Struggles Return in Wizards' Opener

Originally posted on Washington Wizards on SI
By Henry Brown | Last updated Jul 12, 2025 1:00 PM ET

Alex Sarr was one of the biggest stories in 2024's NBA Summer League, and not for any of the right reasons.

The second overall pick in the prior NBA Draft was expected to showcase his dominant defense and developing scoring capabilities against inferior competition. Fans of the Washington Wizards braced for his shooting to be raw and his finishing to be inconsistent, but no one could have prepared themselves for how little he could accomplish as a shot creator. He missed many 3-pointers and was frequently outmuscled in the paint, with his difficulties culminating in a 0/15 shooting bonanza.

Sarr managed to shake off that summer stink when the games started actually mattering, turning in a First-Team All Rookie season that saw him deliver as the defensive phenom he was billed as. He couldn't escape his Summer League struggles, though, looking like he hadn't filled any of the holes in his game in his return to Las Vegas on Friday.

He ended up at 15 points in the 103-84 loss to the Phoenix Suns, using a noncompetitive fourth quarter to his advantage to get his numbers. His process still didn't look sharp, though, as he still doesn't seem to grasp how little of a chance his slight frame gives him at finishing down low against set rim protectors.

This is what frustrated me with Sarr last year, he plays like a deer in the headlights way too often on offense. If he gives the ball to Kyshawn here and runs wide, he’ll get an easy dunk! Instead he tries to challenge Maluach with a no hope finish attempt. pic.twitter.com/zCAgHpAZe1
— Wizards Film Room (@KevinFolliNBA) July 12, 2025

A lot of Sarr's issues from last summer, like rebounding, 3-point shooting and around-the-rim activity, looked like they hadn't been solved in the three months since the Wizards last suited up together. His defense looked better than his offense, but he still went long periods without looking engaged on that end.

Washington's done some work in recent days to bolster the roster's depth behind Sarr, bringing Tristan Vukcevic and Marvin Bagley III back in free agency to provide some much-needed shooting and rebounding depth to the front court. They're still a wing-heavy team, though, and will need to start seeing some improvement out of their raw starting center to push the rebuild forward.

Summer League still has four more games to go, and Sarr's historically played worse without a guard to spoon-feed him assisted shots, but his issues in Vegas are growing to become part of the Alex Sarr experience.

This article first appeared on Washington Wizards on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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