SI:AM | No. 2 Pick Alex Sarr Has Historically Terrible Shooting Night

Bronny James isn’t the only high-profile player struggling in Summer League.

Sarr (left) has really struggled on the offensive end during summer league. / Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. I was pleasantly surprised by how entertaining the MLB All-Star Game was.

In today’s SI:AM:

⭐ Jarren Duran’s All-Star moment
⚾ Matt Strahm’s cool belt
🌎 Scottie’s world

Woof

While Bronny James is drawing plenty of criticism for his lackluster performance in the NBA Summer League, a higher-profile prospect has been even worse.

The Washington Wizards took 19-year-old French 7-footer Alex Sarr with the No. 2 pick in last month’s draft. He had been projected as a likely No. 1 pick earlier in the draft process but fell to the second pick after declining a private workout with the Atlanta Hawks, who held the top choice. (Sarr reportedly preferred the supporting cast he’d have in Washington.)

Sarr was always a defense-first prospect—a mobile big man with a 7'4" wingspan who averaged 1.5 blocks in just 17.3 minutes per game in the Australian league last season. (On offense, he averaged 9.4 points per game with a .298 three-point percentage.) And indeed, he’s been a strong presence on the defensive end in Summer League, with nine blocks in three games. But he’s also been a complete disaster on offense.

Tuesday night’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers was Sarr’s most disappointing performance yet. He missed all 15 of his shot attempts and finished with a big fat zero points. He was 0-for-7 from three and even missed both of his free throw attempts. (He did have nine rebounds, three assists and three blocks, but he also picked up five fouls and had three turnovers.) You can watch all 15 of his misses below:

It was a brutal showing for Sarr, who had the most field goal attempts without a make in a Summer League game since at least 2017, according to ESPN. The NBA regular-season record for shot attempts without a make is 17 by Tim Hardaway in 1991. Only three players since the NBA-ABA merger have taken at least 15 shots in a regular-season game without making one (Hardaway, Ray Williams in ’81 and Rodney McCray in ’88).

One reason for Sarr’s struggles was that he was facing another excellent defensive center in Portland’s Donovan Clingan, the No. 7 pick in this year’s draft out of UConn. Clingan had two blocks on Sarr, including this emphatic rejection in the paint.

7'2" Donovan Clingan protecting the rim for Portland 💪

WAS-POR on NBA TV | #NBA2KSummerLeague pic.twitter.com/VtsuKPk2Fv

— NBA (@NBA) July 17, 2024

But Sarr also struggled to score against smaller defenders like Kris Murray (6'8") and Alex Reese (6'9"). The worst part, though, was his jumper. He had multiple three-point attempts that barely grazed the rim or missed it entirely. He’s now a putrid 2-for-17 from three in his three summer league games, and 8-for-41 overall. That’s a .195 shooting percentage.

It’s certainly too early to call Sarr a bust based on three games played with a bunch of guys he just met, but it still has to be worrisome for the Wizards after his struggles in Las Vegas confirmed all the prior concerns about his offensive game. At least Washington’s coaches know what their top priority should be: fixing his broken jumper.

Duran proved to be the hero in Tuesday’s All-Star Game. / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

The best of Sports Illustrated

• Tom Verducci recaps the MLB All-Star Game, where Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran proved to be an unlikely hero.

• You may have noticed Phillies reliever Matt Strahm wearing a unique belt during the game. Stephanie Apstein got to the bottom of where it came from.

• On the eve of the British Open, today’s Digital Cover is Bob Harig’s story on how Scottie Scheffler has taken over the world of golf.

• Here are Jim Stracka’s British Open power rankings. 

• Niners receiver Brandon Aiyuk has reportedly requested a trade.

• Kyrie Irving is recovering from a broken hand.

• The Red Sox selected David Ortiz’s son near the end of the MLB draft.

The top five…

… plays from the MLB All-Star Game:

5. Corbin Burnes’s fun moment with his former teammate William Contreras.
4. Mason Miller’s nasty sliders to strike out Shohei Ohtani and Trea Turner.
3. Turner’s diving stop while mic’d up.
2. Ohtani’s three-run homer in the third inning.
1. Duran’s two-run homer that proved to be the difference in the game.