WASHINGTON, D.C. — Second-year Washington Wizards center Alex Sarr has established himself as one of the best players in his draft class this season, but he didn't play that way in his team's 141-115 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday. The biggest reason was four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert, who schooled him on both ends.

The latter player told ClutchPoints postgame the advice he has for Sarr moving forward.

“He has all the talent and all the skills, I think it’s just his body. Keep working on your body, keep getting stronger,” Gobert said. “As a seven-footer, being someone who’s very long, your game is very high-impact. I think that’s gonna be key for him, being available for his team every night.”

Sarr has more offensive skill than Gobert and is only one inch shorter, but the three-time All-Star is 53 pounds heavier, which comes in handy down low. The two big men matched up against each other throughout the game, and Gobert tallied 18 points (8-10 FG) with 14 rebounds, four blocks, and one turnover over 29 minutes, while Sarr had just seven points (3-10 FG, 1-2 3-point) with three rebounds, four assists, two turnovers, and one steal across 26 minutes.

“Keep getting stronger, keep working on your recovery, your cardio, your strength,” the fellow Frenchman continued. “All these things are gonna help him be who he can be, and I think he can be a great player on both ends. The things he’s been doing defensively have been impressing me. I didn’t think he was going to do that right now, so it’s cool to watch.”

Sarr leads the NBA with 2.3 blocks per game despite being on a minutes restriction as he works back from an adductor injury. Combine that with the fact that the 20-year-old is averaging 17.2 points on 49.9 percent shooting (35.5 percent 3-point) with three assists despite having no consistent point guard to open up looks for him, and it's clear why Gobert respects him.

However, physical dominance will always be essential to a center's success in the NBA, even in today's three-point-heavy era. Sunday's game showed that Sarr has room to improve in that area.

The 2024 No. 2 overall pick is listed at seven feet, 205 pounds, while Gobert is seven-foot-one, 258 pounds. Even the most skilled player in the world couldn't outmuscle the heavier man in that situation, and that's a problem at a position where rebounding and rim protection are two of the biggest responsibilities. It's hard to get rebounds over and defend inside against significantly stronger players.

Luckily for Sarr, he has time to beef up over the coming years. Once the 2025 first-team All-Rookie honoree does so while also maintaining his agility, he could become better than Gobert ever was due to his offensive talent. Similar to Gobert, Sarr has played for the French national team and is one of the best French hoopers in the world, so he's on the right track.

Gobert's advice also exemplifies how generous veterans can be with their knowledge, even the ones on opposing teams. Picking their brains could be fruitful for Sarr, as multi-time All-Stars have stacked resumes for a reason.

CJ McCollum makes Anthony Edwards admission after 35-point game

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) shoots the ball over Washington Wizards guard Bub Carrington (7) in the third quarter at Capital One Arena.
© Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
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Gobert wasn't the only Minnesota player who showed out at Capital One Arena on Sunday night. Superstar guard Anthony Edwards had a typically electric performance, totaling 35 points (14-21 FG, 6-10 3-point) with six rebounds, four steals, and three assists over 30 minutes.

Veteran Wizards guard CJ McCollum responded to a question with a question when asked if there's any way to even slightly throw elite players like Edwards off their game.

“How many points does he average?” the 34-year-old asked.

“29 or 30,” ClutchPoints responded.

“So you're not stopping him; he's getting 30 a night,” he continued. “A bad night is 28, right? So I think it's just about making it difficult, making him shoot tough twos. He's gonna get his threes off and get to the rim, and tonight he scored at all three levels like he's done all year. He got four or five over his average tonight.”

Edwards now ranks seventh in the NBA with 29.4 points per game on 50.6 percent shooting (40 percent 3-point) entering Monday night's slate. The 24-year-old is the biggest reason why the Timberwolves made the Western Conference Finals the past two seasons and playoff appearances the past four. Now, they occupy the West's sixth seed and are just 2.5 games behind the San Antonio Spurs for the second spot.

Once Washington develops/acquires a player of that caliber, and once Sarr gets as strong as Gobert, then it could have similar team success. The bright side for the Wizards is that they'll have the resources to accomplish that goal in the summer, either by drafting a star prospect in the lottery or using their projected nine-figure salary cap space under the first apron (per Spotrac) to get a veteran stud.

Up next for Washington is a home date with the Orlando Magic on Tuesday before a road matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday.