NBA Draft

Is Dame Sarr an International Example of March Basketball Inflated Stats?

The month of March is regarded as a time in the NBA world where a few players every season put up gaudy numbers that are not indicative of what they’re capable of doing regularly. Is Dame Sarr doing the same thing in Spain, or is this development real?

Andrew Bernucca

Italian wing Dame Sarr has spent much of this international season sitting on the bench. This isn’t a surprise. Players of his age, 18, rarely have rotation spots locked down on EuroLeague teams like Barcelona. But in January, it was rumored he would leave Barcelona on loan and join Italian club Trapani Shark who are having a very strong season and looking for depth pieces as they compete for domestic silverware. 

But Barcelona held on to Sarr, and in March, they started playing him real minutes. In four ACB games, he is averaging 19.25 minutes, 13.75 points, 1.75 assists, 2.75 rebounds, 0.5 steals, and 0.75 blocks per game on 68/57/56 shooting splits. Four games is, of course, a small sample. But it’s the lone consistent stretch of significant playing time Sarr has had in ACB action this season. He had only one other game with more than 10 minutes played this season before that, logging 17 minutes against Manresa at the beginning of December. 

Now, in the NBA world, March is known as a month where players - especially young players - tend to post higher counting stats than usual. Teams dig their heels in on tanking, and in turn, young players are given more freedom to experiment and produce. Some end up doing exactly that, like AJ Johnson currently is with the Washington Wizards. 

This, however, is not the case with Sarr and Barcelona. Barcelona are battling for the fourth spot in Liga ACB which would give them home court for the playoffs. Since they would likely face Malaga in the first round, homecourt advantage may very well decide who wins that series. Barcelona are currently two games back of Malaga. 

Sarr’s increase in playing time isn’t unique to ACB action either. Sarr finished with 13 points in 18 minutes against Italian club Milano in their critical Round 32 road victory. Sarr was a DNP in the two EuroLeague games preceding that, so this may be a sign that head coach Joan Penarroya, whose job is on the line, is trusting the youngster. With the win over Milano, Barcelona remain in a five-way tie for sixth place in the EuroLeague, the final guaranteed playoff spot. 

Penarroya deserves praise for trying out Sarr in such a high-stakes continental game. Spanish wing Hugo Gonzalez, a potential lottery pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, has not earned the same trust from Real Madrid head coach Chus Mateo (that is an assumption based on playing time, not a sourced report). Sarr of course, deserves a ton of credit for capitalizing on the opportunity given to him. As we said at the top, it is rare for players of his age to earn a rotation spot in competitions like EuroLeague and Liga ACB, which are dominated by ex-NBA players and seasoned veterans at the top of overseas basketball. 

Barcelona has two more EuroLeague games left to try to secure the final playoff spot, including a road game against Fenerbahce, who are fighting for the top-seed in Round 33. Plenty of time remains for them to try to move to the top four in ACB. If Sarr continues to perform as he has, he may have established himself as a front-of-the-bench player for Barcelona next season which would do wonders for his 2026 Draft Stock. This isn't a Mickey Mouse March, it's a young player proving just how good he already is, and how good he potentially could be.

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Andrew Bernucca
ANDREW BERNUCCA

Andrew has covered professional basketball overseas for the better part of six years. He has written scouting reports, profile pieces, news briefs, and more. He has also covered and writen about the NBA as well during his time as a journalist.

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