WASHINGTON, D.C. – Washington Wizards center Alex Sarr became the youngest player in franchise history to notch 30-plus points and 10-plus rebounds in a game on Tuesday, but something else about his performance went under the radar. The 20-year-old dished five assists for the third straight game, and he's now fifth among NBA big men with 4.5 dimes per contest, per ESPN.

Wizards head coach Brian Keefe spoke about Sarr's passing ability after Tuesday's 139-134 overtime loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.

“I think that's one of the things we saw early, even going back to why we selected him,” he said. “
I don't think people are talking enough about his passing ability, his ability to see the game. We like to play through him at the elbows and different things, and he can make the reads. 
He's got a good feel for the game, and we're going to continue to do more of that.”

Sarr told ClutchPoints about those reads after Sunday's 139-113 loss to the Charlotte Hornets.

“Being in flash actions, having the ball in those situations,” the 2025 first-team All-Rookie honoree said about what helped him improve his passing. “Reading what my teammates are doing. Getting those reps helped me improve.”

Flash actions are when a player without the ball moves into an open spot in the defense. Sarr has practiced passing to those teammates cutting into space since last season, as displayed below.

Delivering the ball to cutters is traditionally a guard's job, but Sarr is a part of the “positionless basketball” revolution in today's NBA. Although the French international showed flashes of his facilitating ability as a rookie, he's now averaging 2.1 more assists than he did last season, albeit across only four games thus far. He's not yet on the level of star big men like Nikola Jokic (11.3 assists) and Alperen Sengun (7.3), but he'll still be one of the best passers at the position if he keeps his current pace.

Sarr's showing that he can not only anticipate when teammates will get open, but also hit them in stride when they do break free. The seven-foot, 205-pounder ranks third on Washington in average assists, behind only veteran guard CJ McCollum and second-year wing Kyshawn George, who each have five. However, both of the latter players are averaging 5.5 more minutes as Sarr heals from the calf he injury he sustained while playing for France in EuroBasket.

Additionally, the 2025 Rising Star's passing improvement hasn't come at the expense of the rest of his game. For example, he ranks fifth among centers with 19.5 points per contest and tied for fourth with two blocks while also averaging 2.3 more rebounds than last season. Furthermore, his 55.2 percent shooting clip is 15.8 percent higher than his rookie mark, which is partly because he's taking more shots inside. He averaged 5.1 three-point attempts last year, but has decreased to 2.8 so far this season.

Both the data and the eye test reveal that Sarr is growing into a do-it-all big man, and he's not the Wizards' only young player taking a leap.

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Kyshawn George loves Wizards' unselfish approach

One of the themes of Washington's first four games is the team's offensive unpredictability, as a different player has been its top scorer in each one. Veteran forward Khris Middleton led the squad with 23 points (9-14 FG, 3-5 3-point) against the Milwaukee Bucks in the season-opener before George led with 34 points (11-15 FG, 7-9 3-point) in a 117-107 road win over the Dallas Mavericks. Then, McCollum led with 24 points (8-20 FG, 4-11 3-point) in the Hornets loss before Sarr led with 31 points (13-23 FG, 3-7 3-point) against the 76ers.

After the latter contest, George explained what it's like to be on a team with several different players who could have big scoring nights.

“I think it’s really fun, 'cause nobody’s really selfish on the team,” the former Miami Hurricane said. “To be able to come into the game and just play your game and have fun, and whoever goes off that night goes off that night…I think it’s a relief that you can step on the floor and say ‘Who’s gonna take it tonight?’”

It's no surprise that George is having fun considering that he leads the Wizards in average points (20.2) and rebounds (9.2) while also tying with McCollum for the most assists, as previously mentioned. The 21-year-old is also shooting 53.8 percent from deep despite his 6.5 attempts a night, and he's second with 1.3 steals per game as well as 1.5 blocks.

That three-point efficiency is unsustainable, but the rest of his production isn't. George has been Washington's most consistent two-way player, which is a revelation considering that he wasn't a lottery pick. The Swiss-Canadian's success is a testament to the team's developmental program under president Michael Winger and general manager Will Dawkins.

As if that's not enough, No. 6 overall pick Tre Johnson is third on the squad with 14.8 points on 44.9 percent shooting (39.3 percent 3-point). The former Texas Longhorn is having no trouble adjusting to the NBA from a scoring perspective, which was his biggest strength as a prospect.

The Wizards aren't a contender yet, but Sarr, George, and Johnson are showing why they have one of the most exciting young cores in the league. Up next is a road matchup with the defending-champion Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night.