Wizards Rising Star Breaks Summer League Record

Wizards’ Alex Sarr Breaks Summer League Record

The first Summer League game ended in a blowout loss to the Phoenix Suns for Washington. They lacked physicality, and it seems that it stuck with Sarr and the rest of the Wizards headed into the Nets game on Sunday.

Block Central

Sarr dominated the Nets on defense. His blocks didn’t just come from the paint. One of his blocks came on a chase out to the three-point line, showing off his insane mobility and reach. Not only that, but he had three blocks inside the final three minutes, and almost had nine blocks if it wasn’t for a goaltending call inside the last 30 seconds.

Sarr isn’t new to the rim protector role. Last season, Sarr ranked eighth in the NBA in blocks and finished with over 100 on the season. As a rookie, those numbers are impressive. However, after this game, it wouldn’t be a surprise to find him higher on the list next season.

This record may hold for some time. In most cases, the Summer League tends to see teams divide their minutes pretty evenly, to see who is worth keeping on the roster or not. However, Washington has seven players on their Summer League roster who are currently on NBA deals. So Sarr, along with the rest of the contracted players, will see more time on the court compared to an average Summer League team.

All-Around Performance

Sarr had a decent performance in the game against the Suns, scoring 15 points, grabbing four rebounds, and recording three blocks. However, he exploded in game two, not only breaking the blocks record, but he arguably had the best performance of the entire Summer League so far. To go along with his eight blocks, he tallied 16 points, 12 rebounds, and two assists on 46.7% shooting.

An awesome sight to see is that Sarr looked comfortable in the paint. Last season, you could tell Sarr struggled with confidence down low, floating around the arc on offense. However, Sarr only shot two threes this game, which is far below his average of 5.1 a game last season.

Washington needs Sarr to be this effective next season. With the current roster make-up, Washington could be seen as a decent landing spot in free agency with the money they freed up for next offseason after the Jordan Poole trade. If Sarr can show out, along with the rest of the young core, there could be a real chance that they could bring in some real quality talent during the next free agency period.

The Last Word

Sarr is on his way to becoming a real force in the NBA. Although this is the Summer League, it’s a short period to see how players have developed over the first few weeks after the NBA regular season. For Sarr, he hasn’t been in action since April, but the rust is already gone. The Summer League is a great time to show improvement, and Washington needs it.