Apr 11, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic (9) defends Washington Wizards forward Alex Sarr (20) during the first quarter at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images David Banks-Imagn Images

Wizards Center Becoming Ideal Modern Big

Originally posted on Washington Wizards on SI
By Owen Jury | Last updated Oct 23, 2025 7:00 AM ET

The modern NBA is a copy cat league. Teams are constantly searching around the league, studying trends, trying to find out what archetypes of players are most effective. In recent years, athletic bigs who can space the floor and guard multiple positions have become the hot topic. Players like Evan Mobley, Chet Holmgren, Myles Turner, some guy named Victor Wembanyama, are just a few of the many players that fit that bill. The Washington Wizards may not have a player who is of that caliber right now, but Alex Sarr fits the prototype like a glove.

By now, most Wizards fans are familiar with Sarr. Washington selected the 7-foot 205-pound big man with the No. 2-overall pick in the 2024 draft. Sarr came into the NBA far more polished as a defender, but since stepping foot in Washington, he has shown improvement offensively.

Sarr Showing Growth as a Player

The biggest gripe with Sarr in his rookie season was his over-reliance on three-pointers. Sarr shot nearly 9 threes per 100 possessions, which would be an impressive number if he made them even somewhat efficiently. However, Sarr shot just 30.8% from the field and a disgusting 39.4% from the field. Despite his struggles as a rookie, Sarr has proven to be far more aggressive as a driver heading into his sophomore season, peeling back his three point reliance.

Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

Sarr’s defense is easily his best trait as a player and is the biggest reason that he fits the bill of a modern NBA big-man. His combination of size, mobility and instincts allow him to not only be elite as a rim protector, but also versatile. Sarr has the ability to switch onto smaller players and hold his own, which allows for head coach Brain Keefe to be more creative with his defensive schemes. Sarr still has a way to go in regards to filling out his frame, but with time Sarr could develop into one of the best defenders in the NBA.

Sarr is Key to the Wizards' Rebuild

Sarr’s development will play a huge part in the long term progression of the Wizards' rebuild. If he can buy into playing more physically and taking a higher volume of shots around the rim. Along with continuing his development as a shooter — Sarr could easily morph into one of the premier offensive bigs in the NBA. As for defense, Sarr has already proven to be impactful in a limited NBA sample size. With time, he will only become more comfortable with NBA athletes and schemes making him all the more impactful on that end. Sarr may never be a go-to option on a championship team, but if he continues upon the development trajectory he is on, Sarr can easily blossom into the perfect modern big-man.

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

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