The Washington Wizards are finally headed in the right direction after shedding the Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis contracts. However, 2024 No. 2 overall pick Alex Sarr hasn't been lighting up the scoreboard in his first NBA Summer League.
Sarr finished with zero points on 0-for-15 shooting in Tuesday's loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, a historically bad outing, via ESPN.
“It was the most field goal attempts by a player without a make in a summer league game since at least 2017, according to ESPN Stats & Information research,” the site said. “If it had been a regular-season game, Sarr's 15 attempts without a field goal would be tied for the second most in NBA history.”
Sarr's miserable outing was the worst of multiple subpar offensive showings, as he's averaged 5.5 points on 19.1% shooting. However, the French international is also averaging 7.8 boards, 3.3 assists, and 2.5 blocks.
Should Washington be worried about Sarr's shooting woes thus far?
Alex Sarr may struggle to score as a rookie with the Wizards
Sarr's Summer League campaign may not indicate exactly how he'll perform once the real season starts, but he may take a while to become an effective scorer, via The Washington Post's Ben Golliver.
“Unless he can generate more scoring opportunities at the rim or exercise more careful shot selection, Sarr appears headed for an inefficient rookie campaign as a scorer,” Golliver pointed out. “However, his comfort on the perimeter has enabled him to show off a nice passing touch to cutting teammates.”
If Sarr can average anywhere in the neighborhood of 3.3 assists per contest when the real games start, he'll already be one of the better playmaking big men in the league. Continuing to protect the rim will also be paramount, but that could depend on how Washington utilizes him. The club could elect to have him roam the paint defensively while sticking at the perimeter offensively.
“We’re definitely experimenting with how we use him,” Wizards Summer League coach Cody Toppert said. “He’s got to continue to get in the fire and get in the battle. We dropped him off in the deep end, and he’s working on everything. He had some really good looks [against Portland]. I think fatigue got the best of him a little bit.”
With Washington signing veteran center Jonas Valunciunas to a three-year, $30 million deal, Sarr said he'll switch between the four and five positions.
“I will have more of a hybrid role,” Sarr said. “I don’t see myself as a fully outside player or a fully inside player. I’ll just take what the defense gives you and adjusting to every play.”
Valunciunas will take some pressure off of Sarr, as the Lithuanian international averages 13.4 points per game on 56.1% shooting with 9.5 rebounds. His presence could help open up looks for Sarr in the front court, but the 19-year-old will have to test out whether he shoots better on the outside or around the rim.
As of now, he doesn't look to have great finishing skills inside, as he got smothered by Portland center Donovan Clingan on Tuesday. The 7-foot-2 Clingan could serve as a prototype for how to defend Sarr at the current stage of his development, as the two-time NCAA champion forced the No. 2 overall pick to operate on the perimeter.
For now, expect Jordan Poole, Kyle Kuzma, and Valunciunas to lead the Wizards' scoring charge while Sarr, Bub Carrington, and Bilal Coulibaly continue to develop. Sarr will eventually need to improve his scoring to live up to expectations, but his proficiency in other areas should help him get by in the meantime.
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