Oct 24, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) dribbles the ball as Washington Wizards forward Alex Sarr (20) defends in the first half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

'It’s Hard to Play Two Guys Who are Just That Dreadful' – Washington Wizards’ Young Duo Catches Massive Stray From Analyst

Originally posted on Hardwood Heroics | By Jordan Samar | Last updated Sep 11, 2025 12:42 PM ET

The Washington Wizards finished dead last in the Eastern Conference last season with an 18-64 record, and the same is expected for them this upcoming season.

During a recent episode of The Hoop Collective podcast, where they previewed teams from the Southeast Division, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon pointed to Alex Sarr and Bilal Coulibaly’s “dreadful” offense as one of the key factors that will hold back the Washington Wizards.

“Honestly, both of them are just very bad offensive players,” MacMahon said. “They both have really big-time potential on the defensive end, but man, it’s hard to play two guys who are just that dreadful offensively in a league that’s better offensively than it’s ever been.”

Feb 5, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly (0) looks to drive past Brooklyn Nets forward Ziaire Williams (8) in the first quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

For context, last season, Sarr averaged 13.4 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.5 blocks on 39.4 percent shooting from the field, while Coulibaly averaged 12.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.3 steals on 42.1 percent shooting from the field.

Washington Wizards News: Alex Sarr receives bold “best player” prediction from analyst

Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes recently predicted that Alex Sarr would be the Washington Wizards’ best player three years from now because of his immense two-way potential.

Nov 4, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) drives to the basket as Washington Wizards forward Alexandre Sarr (20) defends in the second half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

“If you can look past the unthinkably poor 45.4 percent hit rate on twos last year, Alex Sarr has a lot to recommend him. After averaging 1.5 blocks per game, the fourth-place finisher in Rookie of the Year voting will impact games defensively. That will be a must for Sarr, whose offensive game doesn’t fit most conventional big-man modes,” Hughes wrote.

“The three-ball didn’t go in enough last year, but Sarr seems comfortable shooting it. That’s half the battle. If he develops his strengths, he’ll still have plenty of offensive advantages against opposing bigs — possibly enough to offset what look like some pretty severe interior finishing issues,” he added.