Inside The Wizards

Wizards Rookie Sets New Standard vs. Pacers

The Washington Wizards saw growth from one of their rookies.

Jeremy Brener

Nov 13, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Washington Wizards forward Alex Sarr (20) goes up to dunk while defended by San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) during the second half at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images
Nov 13, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Washington Wizards forward Alex Sarr (20) goes up to dunk while defended by San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) during the second half at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images / Scott Wachter-Imagn Images
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Washington Wizards rookie center Alex Sarr is coming off of a career performance in a loss against the Indiana Pacers.

Despite the team not ending up on the right end of the result, Sarr had his best statistical game of his young career. The No. 2 overall pick scored 17 points while grabbing a career-high 14 rebounds for his second double-double of the year and first since Nov. 4.

Wizards coach Brian Keefe liked what he saw from the French teenager.

“When Alex is active protecting the rim on the boards, on both ends, running to the rim on the screens, getting the rolls, his activity was high. And then obviously you see that he's switching onto their guards. I mean how many guys can do that? Like this is a 19-year-old who's switching onto their guards and guardingthem pretty well, so we're able to see different things. He was able to do multiple things defensively tonight. That's always the biggest key for us is his defense," Keefe said postgame.

Sarr is still extremely raw, but games like this prove exactly why the Wizards selected him with their No. 2 overall pick. He has the potential to be one of the league's top centers, and he is still extremely young with room to grow.

Sarr's defensive game is already on par with some of the league's best bigs. He just needs to find the consistency to do this on a more regular basis. The sooner he can find that consistency, the better off the Wizards will be in the long run.

Sarr and the Wizards will look to stack another strong performance in the team's next game against the Chicago Bulls tomorrow night. Tipoff for the NBA Cup game is set for 7 p.m. ET.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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