A few meters from his friend and now teammate at the Wizards, Bilal Coulibaly gently teased Alex Sarrnumber 2 in the 2024 Draft. “Before he came here, I thought he was reserved but he’s so funny, we laugh a lot with him. What’s funny about Alex is that he can keep a serious face, even though he’s going to come up with something crazy.”laughs “BC” (pronounced “bi-ci”) at the microphone of Basket USA, a few minutes after their fifth defeat in a row, Monday, in Houston.
Faced with the press, however, Alexandre Sarr does not deviate from his roadmap and recites more or less the same verse each time. “I’m acclimating well to the NBA: we’re ten games in so I’m still in the learning phase”proclaims the former player of the Perth Wildcats ,in the Australian championship, who says he still needs time to acclimatize “the frequency of matches, especially back-to-backs, because [il] discover again [la NBA] ».
“It’s a long process: we’re waiting to see the player he can be in four to five years”
His parents as well as his brother, Olivier, still in the rehabilitation phase after his Achilles tendon injury last April with the Thunder, joined him to accompany him for his debut in the Big League. “Olivier has given me a lot, whether before my arrival in the NBA or even today”notes the native of Bordeaux. “We debrief after the matches, he gives me advice: I learn from his game, and he also learns a little from mine. »
After a complicated Las Vegas Summer League, punctuated in particular by a 0/15 on shots in a single match, Alex Sarr is starting to take the pulse of the NBA level.
“With Alex, it’s a long process: we’re waiting to see the player he can be in four to five years”explains Will Dawkins, GM of the Wizards, to Basketball USAin the aisles of the Spurs’ Frost Bank Center, Wednesday evening. “But we’ve already been impressed with what he’s shown so far: he’s been interesting but I think he’s going to have an impressive defensive season. »
“A very coachable player and an intelligent young man”
To aim for the heights, the former TOAC Basket and Real Madrid interior intends to draw on his different experiences (he notably played in the Overtime league in 2022/23) in order to become “a player who impacts offensively and defensively, and who helps [son] team to win ». Don’t talk to him about the Wizards’ poor record last season (14th in the East, 15 wins – 67 losses), nor about tomorrow’s success because he wants to put DC back at the top of the bill, now. “There may be no expectations but we are all here to win”he assures.
“He has unique skills”continues his new coach Brian Keefe. “He’s a very easy player to coach, but he’s also an intelligent young man. He understands very quickly what is asked of him and he is able to transcribe them immediately on the ground. [Sa rapidité à appliquer les consignes]this is something we noticed from Summer League. »
The 2025 European Championship in the viewfinder
If we can already see his defensive qualities, Alexandre Sarr still needs to refine his offensive game. His low 3-point percentage in the Australian championship (only 28% success) could suggest some difficulty in clearing the game.
The desire to become a better shooter is clear in both the player and the franchise, which encourages him to take nearly 5 attempts per game behind the NBA line at 7m25 (but only 18% success rate). “He will be one of those guys who will be really difficult to defend”predicted Brian Keefe before Monday’s defeat, “because he’s going to shoot at a high percentage, and he’s going to be able to stretch the game”.
In difficulty against the Turkish pivot Alperen Şengün or against Victor Wembanyama these last two matches, Alex Sarr retains all the confidence of his franchise. “We see him learning, adapting in the game”still describes Brian Keefe. “Sometimes you just have to put yourself in difficulty to have excellent learning experiences and it’s clear that I see him improving with each match”.
An apprenticeship at high speed that Alexandre Sarr hopes will lead to a first campaign with the Blues during the next European Championship (from August 27 to September 14, 2025 in Latvia, Cyprus, Finland and Poland). “I would really like to play in the French team, regardless of the competition”he indicates, specifying that he has already been able to speak with general manager Boris Diaw in recent days but not yet with the new coach, Frédéric Fauthoux. “Wearing the France jersey is very important to me because we are trying to build something big for the years to come. »
In Houston and San Antonio (United States).
