What Do the Washington Wizards Want To See From Alex Sarr in Year Two?

The Washington Wizards' seasons of tanking are set to continue. A bad round of lottery luck landed them only the sixth pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, which means they will likely test their lottery luck again in 2026. But while wins and losses may not mean everything to the Wizards currently, these games are informing them about the many young players on their roster, and who could be a part of this franchise's future when they do eventually land that franchise-leading talent.

One of those players is French forward Alex Sarr. Sarr was the second overall pick of the 2024 NBA Draft and had a solid rookie season in Washington. In 27 minutes per game, he averaged 13 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game. Solid numbers, but question marks still remain about Sarr's ceiling, and year two could be very informative.

How Can Alex Sarr Set Himself Up To Be a Building Block for the Washington Wizards in Year Two?

Sarr bounced around a lot as a prospect: Real Madrid, Overtime Elite, and the Perth Wildcats were all organizations Sarr called home as a prospect. For Sarr, getting to play the way he wants to play has always mattered. At roughly 7-feet tall and just over 200 pounds, Sarr prefers to play on the perimeter on both sides of the ball.

There's nothing wrong with that. Chet Holmgren, Kevin Durant, and plenty of other great players with similar physiques have spent most of their careers on the perimeter as well. Even Victor Wembanyama likes to drift more than onlookers want him to.

But to play the majority of your game on the perimeter at Sarr's size, you need to make more shots. Sarr finished last season shooting 45 percent on twos and 31 percent on threes. For context, Holmgren shot 37 percent from deep last season and is roughly 60 percent for his career on twos. Sarr doesn't need to be Holmgren next season, but he does need to get better.

The interior conversions and overall shot selection are two key areas where the Wizards will want to see Sarr improve. Playing with more physicality as a finisher and attacking the rim directly, instead of fading or stopping for 10-footers, leaning on hook shots, and utilizing other two-point field goal attempt techniques with a higher degree of difficulty. Better shot selection will go a long way for Sarr. No more mid-post fadeaways, contested off-the-dribble threes, or contested one-dribble pull-ups.