Wizards Rookie Praised for Giannis Antetokounmpo Battle

Giannis Antetokounmpo gave the Washington Wizards a challenge.

Jeremy Brener | Dec 1, 2024

Nov 30, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) drives to the basket against Washington Wizards forward Alexandre Sarr (20) in the first half at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images / Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

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Washington Wizards

The Washington Wizards made a big change to their lineup against the Milwaukee Bucks to combat their opponent's massive size.

While Alex Sarr has normally lined up as the Wizards center this season, he moved to the power forward spot as Jonas Valanciunas slid in next to him. This put Sarr as the primary defender on Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo.

“This is a great player,” Wizards head coach Brian Keefe said of Antetokounmpo. “I mean no hiding this guy's one of the best players in the league, maybe one of the best players ever.”

Antetokounmpo had a triple-double, scoring 42 points while grabbing 12 rebounds and dishing out 11 assists in the win. While the Bucks had success with Antetokounmpo, Keefe was still impressed with Sarr's ability to defend him at times during the game.

“Great assignment for him,” Keefe said of Sarr. “I thought he got him a couple times. Alex got at the rim. Cut him off, made him shoot some pull-ups and then he was helping off others too. So it wasn't just guarding him. He was able to come in and help off a [Damian] Lillard, control the paint, use his size to help other people too. I thought it was a pretty decent showing for his first time guarding him.”

Playing against some of the best players in the league will shape Sarr and allow him to grow. The outcome shouldn't be of much importance to the Wizards as they are going through a rebuild, but Sarr's experience guarding Antetokounmpo could allow him to perform better against him in the future, or against similar players.

Sarr and the Wizards are back in action against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.

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Make sure you bookmark Washington Wizards on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

Published Dec 1, 2024

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.