Where Dame Sarr Ranks in This International Class Amidst Peculiar Season

With an international class that has failed to demand any early lottery discussion for most of the second half of the season, Dame Sarr has become the talk of the town in April. His season has had a little bit of everything: bench-warming, making the most of a small opportunity, late surge up draft boards, a somewhat dramatic falling out with his senior club, a strong showing at the Nike Hoop Summit, and now, serious consideration as a first-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. 

A lot of this has come as a surprise. That is not an indictment of Sarr’s talent in any way. Primarily, when he opted to stay with Barcelona this season it was perceived as a long-term decision that kicked the NBA Draft entry can at least into 2026. But circumstances changed. Barcelona’s season started going a little sideways, and their head coach started to feel the heat, Sarr got a chance, and he took it. He solidified himself in Barcelona’s rotation, provided much-needed quality on the wing, and was looking to become a consistent double-digit scorer in EuroLeague and ACB play. No other prospect was doing that this season. Barcelona had stopped their tilt and as they headed into a weekend ACB matchup with archrivals Real Madrid, Sarr vanished. 

He jumped on a flight and headed to the Nike Hoops Summit. The University of Illinois was rumored to be pursuing an NIL deal, but with a strong showing at the Summit - Sarr is suddenly in serious discussions as a potential first-round pick for the 2025 NBA Draft. He will have just turned 19 years old on draft day and has serious two-way potential. In an international class that’s mostly known for how highly-rated prospects at the beginning of the season have not met expectations, Sarr’s decision to keep riding this momentum appears to be the right one. He is arguably a top-five international prospect for 2025, in the range of French forward Noah Penda and Serbian forward Bogoljub Markovic, who also participated in the Nike Hoop Summit. 

Sarr finished with 17 points, showed professional shooting range, elite body control and touch around the rim, and upside as a slasher. His defensive instincts and ability to be a constant disruptor on that side of the ball were on display as well. Every time he steps on the court, Sarr looks more and more like a first-round pick.