Alex Sarr: NBA draft scouting report and intel
2005 | 7’1 | 7’4 WS | 217 LBS
Team: Perth Wildcats (Australia)
Agent: Bill Duffy
Best aggregate mock draft rank: 1 / Worst rank: 3
2023-24 Stats: In 24 games, Sarr averaged 9.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 0.9 assists in 17.2 minutes. He also contributed 0.5 steals and 1.3 blocks per game. Sarr maintained a field goal percentage of 52 percent and a three-point percentage of 29.8 percent
Comes from a basketball family. Older brother Olivier plays for the Oklahoma City Thunder and played at the University of Kentucky and Wake Forest in college. His father, Massar, played professional basketball and hails from Senegal.
Strengths:
* Great physical attributes: 7-foot-1 tall with a 7-foot-4 wingspan
* Impressive agility and foot speed for a big man
* Strong defensive skills: excels in defending ball screens, switches onto guards effectively, and disrupts opponents with off-ball positioning
* Potential to be an elite shot-blocker
* Day one impact player on the defensive end
* Solid shooting form with the potential to develop into a three-level scorer
* Above-average court vision and passing ability
* Athleticism to run the floor in transition and finish plays as a lob threat
* Shows willingness to attempt moves and be creative on offense as a scorer
Weaknesses:
* Reliant on a few offensive moves and lacks offensive versatility
* Inconsistent pick-and-pop game and struggles with screen contact
* Lacks rim touch and discipline in finishing at the rim
* Defensive rebounding needs improvement
* Questions about ability to consistently play as a center in the NBA and might need to play as a four alongside a physical center
* Motor and aggression can fluctuate throughout a game
Scotto's draft notes:
“Sarr disappears on the floor at times,” an NBA scout told HoopsHype. “I don’t know if he’s going to be this crazy rim protector like everyone thinks he is. Maybe that has to do with his body size and not being able to absorb contact. He needs to get stronger. Obviously, everybody is thinking of the pick-and-pop potential with him.”
“There are a lot of bigs that come out, and if you’re not a Top 5 guy at that position, teams like to get bigs on the scrap heap that fill specific rolls they can trust and know what they’ll get from them,” an NBA executive told HoopsHype. “Taking a big at No. 1 in the draft is always a question in this day and age and tough to do.”
“Sarr is probably the best player in this draft right now, and I wouldn’t have said that last year,” an NBA scout told HoopsHype. “Sarr was at Overtime Elite the last two years and got a lot better since going overseas. He’s a big man who can shoot. He’s got a feel for the game. He’s put on some weight for added strength.”
“I think Sarr has everything to his game,” an NBA executive told HoopsHype. “He needs to go somewhere that’s patient with him. He can be a really good two-way player you can build around in two years. I believe in his shooting and shot blocking.”
“I think the concern would be that he’s not a consistent shooter,” another NBA executive told HoopsHype. “He’s made shots to a relatively good degree, though. He’s big and athletic enough. Is he going to be a spot-up shooter? Is he going to make 32 or 37 percent? That’s the difference between a gravity type of shooter. Then, there’s the physicality. Is he going to be that physical at the five against the NBA big men he’ll see?”
Excerpts from HoopsHype’s Aggregate Mock Draft from colleague Michael Scotto, who contributed research to this story, can be found here.