Washington Wizards center Alex Sarr Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images / Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

Wizards Center Emerging as Franchise Star

Originally posted on Washington Wizards on SI
By Lane Mills | Last updated Oct 30, 2025 7:00 AM ET

Early in the first quarter of the Washington Wizards eventual overtime loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, sophomore center Alex Sarr drove at former MVP Joel Embiid and was, emphatically rejected. Yet before Wizards fans in the building could let out their usual sigh, the big rebounded his own rejection, stepped through the lane and put down a two-handed slam that set the tone for Washington.

Forming a New Face of the Franchise

Despite their defeat — an entirely different, full-team issue — Sarr appears to be taking on a new form as the team's cardinal leader and, as was anticipated upon his second overall selection in last year's draft, the face of the franchise.

Sarr continued to impress throughout the night, posting a 31-point, 11-rebound double-double iin the 139-134 scrub, which Washington managed to take to overtime before failing to thread the needle through the finish line. Sarr's 30+ PTS and 10+ REB performance makes him the youngest Wizard (20) ever to do so.

Validated worries about his physicality haven't yet gone away, but this achievement certainly suggests a development in that aspect of Sarr's game that should calm the hearts and minds of those in D.C. who feared yet another draft bust.

NBA on ESPN went so far as to post about Sarr's historic night on their official X (Twitter) account:

Despite the loss, Alex Sarr (20) is the youngest Wizard to score 30+ PTS and 10+ REB in a game‼️ pic.twitter.com/aTapYHFhsM
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) October 29, 2025

Hustling All Across the Hardwood

In addition to what Sarr managed to do offensively, leading the Wizards in scoring by a large margin, the big also posted two blocks and two steals on the opposite end of the hardwood. Much of the Wizards' overarching issues as a team — the ones that have led them to their current three-loss total — are to do with their struggles to stop opposing teams from putting the ball in the bucket, even when they can do so exceptionally well themselves.

Thus seeing Sarr make a statistical impact on that side of the ball (as long as it may have taken) is a more than encouraging sight for a franchise that is looking to build around him.

Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images | Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

Going forward, the Wizards' energy as a unit, including their fanbase, will thrive on promising developments like these; while they may not stop the losses now, they do promise that, given these trends continue, they will eventually.

The season is far from over, too. At 1-3 coming off a winnable game against an Eastern Conference juggernaut, Washington has plenty of reason to think that they won't once more be the worst team in the NBA's worst conference when it's all said and done. That counts for something.

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

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