On the eve of the draft, Sarr lounged comfortably on a sofa on the Nationwide Basketball Gamers Affiliation’s midtown Manhattan headquarters, regardless that he remained uncertain the place his journey would take him subsequent. He may observe within the footsteps of his French countryman Victor Wembanyama and go to the Atlanta Hawks with the No. 1 decide. Or, as many prognosticators consider, he may very well be chosen No. 2 by the Washington Wizards. If he unexpectedly slips previous the Hawks and Wizards, he received’t wait lengthy to listen to his title referred to as, provided that he has drawn comparisons to all-defensive crew stalwarts Jaren Jackson Jr. and Evan Mobley due to his versatility.
“That’s what’s lovely with this draft,” Sarr mentioned Tuesday. “There’s plenty of uncertainty. In 24 hours, I received’t have the identical issues. It’s one thing I’ve received to get pleasure from and cherish the second. An amazing match for me is no matter crew is prepared to take an opportunity on me.”
Sarr, French ahead Zaccharie Risacher and Connecticut middle Donovan Clingan are among the many main candidates to be the primary participant chosen in maybe the least predictable draft of the previous decade. Atlanta’s gorgeous win on the draft lottery — it had a 3 p.c likelihood to assert the No. 1 spot — made this 12 months’s class even more durable to handicap prematurely of Wednesday’s first spherical, which shall be held at Barclays Heart in Brooklyn.
The Hawks made the 2023 postseason earlier than sliding again into the East’s play-in match this previous season, and they’re going to face playoff expectations except they pursue a rebuild by buying and selling franchise guard Trae Younger. Basic Supervisor Landry Fields mentioned Tuesday in a radio interview that he has acquired calls about buying and selling the No. 1 decide however that he deliberate to pick out first “except one thing wows me.”
Atlanta’s choices run the gamut stylistically. Risacher, 19, averaged 10.1 factors and three.8 rebounds whereas taking pictures 35.2 p.c on three-pointers for JL Bourg in France’s high league. A dynamic offensive participant who can stretch the ground, Risacher performed regular minutes for Bourg, which posted a 25-9 document.
Against this, the 20-year-old Clingan is a standard middle who stands 7-2 and helped Connecticut win its second straight nationwide championship by averaging 13 factors, 7.4 rebounds and a pair of.5 blocks as a sophomore.
Then there may be Sarr, a 19-year-old who seems to be probably the most bodily gifted participant within the class. He glides across the court docket as a cell massive man, citing Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Hakeem Olajuwon as influences. He’s a talented shot-blocker, however he additionally has labored diligently on his outdoors taking pictures as a result of he is aware of fashionable facilities should have the ability to unfold the court docket. He’s polished and confident in entrance of cameras because of a step-by-step developmental method that culminated with him averaging 9.7 factors, 4.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 17.2 minutes per recreation for Perth, which had the NBL’s second-best document.
“Each time I used to be getting snug at a spot, that’s once I needed to maneuver and discover a new problem so I may get higher,” Sarr mentioned. “[In Australia], we had been taking part in successful basketball and each possession mattered. You needed to lock in on little particulars. I used to be getting taking part in time as a result of I used to be impacting successful.”
Sarr hails from a basketball household: His father, Massar, performed professionally in France, and his older brother, Olivier, has spent the previous three seasons with the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder. When he was 13, Sarr first competed towards Risacher in French youth tournaments. There have been no indicators of a bitter rivalry because the prospects shared amusing throughout a youth basketball camp Tuesday.
“We grew up collectively competing towards one another, and now we’re right here in New York for the draft,” Risacher mentioned. “That is particular.”
As Risacher rose by way of the skilled ranks in France, taking part in for former San Antonio Spurs star Tony Parker’s ASVEL membership for a number of seasons earlier than successful the league’s finest younger participant honors with JL Bourg this 12 months, Sarr began accumulating passport stamps. After a progress spurt made him a 7-footer, Sarr selected to give attention to creating an all-around recreation moderately than changing into a back-to-the-basket middle. Whereas the Wizards clearly want a linchpin after rating twenty eighth in defensive effectivity final season, Sarr doesn’t need to be pigeonholed. With Perth, he flashed expertise as an above-the-rim finisher and experimented together with his outdoors taking pictures, connecting on 29.8 p.c of his makes an attempt.
“I used to be by no means one-dimensional,” he mentioned. “I used to be all the time attempting stuff on the court docket. My versatility offers me an edge on the opposite guys. I respect how expert [Durant] is. He is aware of the best way to get to his spots. I respect the power Giannis performs with. He performs actually arduous, pushes the ball and will get to the rim. I get labeled a defensive participant, however I’m higher on offense than I get credit score for. My taking pictures is one thing that’s bettering proper now. My passing, really feel and IQ [get overlooked]. I’m a risk on each side of the court docket.”
The Hawks’ choice may hinge on their perception in Sarr’s offensive potential. If he develops right into a dependable ballhandler and succesful outdoors shooter, he seemingly would have extra long-term worth than Risacher, who initiatives as a secondary scorer, or Clingan, who will do the overwhelming majority of his work within the paint.
Sadly for Atlanta, Fields confirmed Tuesday that Sarr was scheduled to work out for the Hawks however “declined” the invitation. Refusing to work out for a crew in hopes of touchdown elsewhere is a comparatively frequent tactic within the NBA draft, however A-list prospects hardly ever cross up the chance to be the highest decide. The bizarre maneuver may boil right down to instant alternative: Atlanta has two facilities, Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu, on its roster, whereas Washington created a gap on the place by delivery Daniel Gafford to the Dallas Mavericks on the commerce deadline.
“I’ve an incredible crew round me,” Sarr mentioned at draft media day. “[My agent] Invoice Duffy and [the Endeavor agency], they’ve already been by way of all of this. I belief them. I’m not going to get into the specifics of the place I labored out and the place I didn’t. In fact [I want to be the top pick], as a competitor, however for me it’s extra essential to be drafted.”
Later, at gamers union headquarters, a relaxed Sarr confirmed he labored out for the Wizards and painted the chatter about his Hawks snubbing as an inconvenient blip on the radar. In so doing, he already appeared like a seasoned professional.
“In fact there’s plenty of query marks,” he mentioned. “… In 24 hours, that received’t be an issue.”
