On the eve of the draft, Sarr sat comfortably on a couch at the midtown Manhattan headquarters of the National Basketball Players Association, even though he was unsure where his journey would take him next. He could follow in the footsteps of his French countryman Victor Vembanyama and go to the Atlanta Hawks with the No. 1 pick. Or, as many forecasters believe, he could be the No. 2 pick by the Washington Wizards. If he unexpectedly moves on from the Hawks and Wizards, he won’t have to wait long to hear his name called, given that his versatility has led to him being compared to All-Defensive team veterans Jaren Jackson Jr. and Ivan It is done through mobile.
“That’s the beauty of this draft,” Sarr said Tuesday. “There is a lot of uncertainty. In 24 hours, I won’t have the same problems. This is something I have to enjoy and cherish the moment. The best fit for me is whatever team is willing to take a chance on me.
Sarr, French forward Zackary Rissacher and Connecticut center Donovan Clingan are among the leading candidates to become the first players selected in perhaps the most underrated draft of the last decade. Atlanta’s landslide victory in the draft lottery — it had a 3 percent chance of claiming the No. 1 spot — made this year’s class even tougher ahead of Wednesday’s first round, which will be held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
The Hawks made the 2023 postseason last season before having to return to the East’s play-in tournament, and unless they rebuild by trading franchise guard Trae Young, they will face playoff hopes. General manager Landry Fields said in a radio interview Tuesday that he has received calls about trading the No. 1 pick, but he plans to select first “unless something bothers me.”
Atlanta’s options are stylistically wide-ranging. Rissacher, 19, averaged 10.1 points and 3.8 rebounds while shooting 35.2 percent on three-pointers for JL Bourg in France’s top league. A dynamic offensive player who could stretch the field, Riesacher played steady minutes for Bourg, who compiled a 25–9 record.
In contrast, the 20-year-old Clingan is a traditional center who is 7-2 and helped Connecticut win its second consecutive national championship by averaging 13 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.5 blocks as a sophomore.
Then there is 19-year-old Sarr who appears to be the most physically gifted player in the class. He moves around the court as a mobile big man, citing Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Hakeem Olajuwon as influences. He is a skilled shot-blocker, but he has also worked diligently on his outside shooting because he knows that modern centers need to be able to extend the court. He is polished and confident in front of the camera thanks to a step-by-step developmental approach, which culminated in him averaging 9.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 17.2 minutes per game for Perth, the second-best record in the NBL . ,
“Every time I was getting comfortable in a spot, that’s when I wanted to move on and find a new challenge so I can get better,” Sarr said. “(In Australia), we were playing winning basketball and every possession mattered. You have to lock down small details. “I was getting playing time because I was making an impact on wins.”
Sarr comes from a basketball family: his father, Massar, played professionally in France, and his older brother, Olivier, has spent the last three seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder. When he was 13, Sarr first competed in a French youth tournament against Rescher. There was no sign of a bitter rivalry as the prospects shared a laugh during a youth basketball camp Tuesday.
“We grew up competing against each other and now we’re here in New York for the draft,” Rishacher said. “It’s special.”
Playing for former San Antonio Spurs star Tony Parker’s ASVEL club for several seasons before winning league best young player honors with JL Bourget this year, as Rischer moved up the professional ranks in France, Sarr obtained a passport. Started collecting tickets. After a growth spurt as he grew to 7-foot, Sarr decided to focus on developing an all-around game rather than becoming a back-to-the-basket center. While the Wizards clearly need a lynchpin after finishing 28th in defensive efficiency last season, Sarr doesn’t want to be pigeonholed. With Perth, he showed skill as a finisher above the rim and experimented with his outside shooting, connecting on 29.8 percent of his attempts.
“I was never one-dimensional,” he said. “I was always trying something on the court. My versatility gives me an edge over other people. I respect how skilled (Durant) is. He knows how to reach his place. I respect the energy that Giannis plays with. He works really hard, pushes the ball and gets to the rim. I’m labeled a defensive player, but I’m much better at offense than I get credit for. My shooting is still improving. My passing, feeling and IQ (getting ignored). “I’m a threat on both sides of the court.”
The Hawks’ decision may depend on their confidence in Sarr’s offensive ability. If he develops into a reliable ballhandler and capable outside shooter, he appears to have more upside than Rissacher, who projects as a secondary scorer, or Klingon, who will do most of his work in the paint. Will have greater long term value.
Unfortunately for Atlanta, Fields confirmed on Tuesday that Sarr was supposed to work out for the Hawks, but “declined” the invitation. Refusing to work out for a team in hopes of landing somewhere else is a relatively common strategy in the NBA Draft, but A-list prospects rarely miss the opportunity to be the top pick. The unusual maneuver may be limited to the immediate opportunity: Atlanta has two centers on the roster, Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu, while Washington created a hole at the position by sending Daniel Gafford to the Dallas Mavericks at the trade deadline.
“I have a great team around me,” Sarr said at draft media day. “(My agent) Bill Duffy and (Endeavour Agency), they’ve already been through it all. I trust him. I’m not going to go into specific details of where I worked and where I didn’t. Of course (I want to be the top pick), as a competitor, but it’s more important for me to be drafted.
Later, at players union headquarters, a relaxed Sarr confirmed he worked for the Wizards and downplayed the conversation about his Hawks being overlooked as an inconvenient blip on the radar. In doing so, he already looked like a seasoned professional.
“There are definitely a lot of question marks,” he said. “…In 24 hours, it won’t be a problem.”
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