For Alexandre Sarr, soft-spoken works.
The 19-year-old center does not seek the spotlight. It’s subtle, but he doesn’t appear to want the limelight the way that, say, Victor Wembanyama accepted it last year.
Wemby seemed to want the smoke that came with the outsized expectations placed on the most-hyped rookie since LeBron James. And when he started to live up to that massive burden in his rookie season in San Antonio, he didn’t seem all that surprised.
It was more like, “Yeah, I do that, and I’ve been doing that for a while, and I’m gonna keep doing it. Watch.”
Sarr doesn’t seem to bring that level of noise with him. But he does have a clear vision for his immediate future in the NBA.
“I think it looks like being a part of a winning team in five years, having that established around me,” Sarr said on Paul George’s “Podcast P with Paul George” last month. “Individually, probably, just winning Rookie of the Year, getting All-Star appearances, making All-NBA teams, maybe (in the) fifth, fourth year, three years. Who knows?”
Sarr’s expectations dovetail with many around the Association. He will hear his name called early, possibly first overall, in Wednesday’s NBA draft.
Whether that’s by the Atlanta Hawks, who currently have the first selection, or someone else including a team trading up, is still unclear. Which is well in keeping with what is likely to be a very opaque 2024 draft. Whether Sarr goes first, or second to the Washington Wizards, he won’t be on the board long.
His offensive skill set belies that of a 7-foot-1, 224-pound big man.
His season playing for Perth in the Australian Basketball League, after playing for Overtime Elite in Atlanta the year before, had the kind of mouth-watering highlights at both ends of the floor that quickly made him someone around whom teams could see themselves building.
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2024 NBA Draft Confidential: Coaches, executives, scouts on Alexandre Sarr and top big men
