The Washington Wizards have had a tough go over the past few years, but the latest performance from their 2024 second overall pick could be a bright spot for the team in the future.
Alex Sarr, drafted by Washington last year, set an NBA Summer League record with eight blocks in the team’s 102-96 win over the Brooklyn Nets. Sarr also had 16 points and 12 rebounds, while leading the team with a +16 while on the floor.
Sarr averaged 13 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.5 blocks on 39.4% shooting in 67 regular-season games for Washington in his rookie season, finishing fourth in Rookie of the Year voting in 2024-25.
The Wizards’ latest first-round draft pick, Tre Johnson, also had a strong performance in his second-ever Summer League game, finishing with a team-high 21 points on 7/11 shooting.
Sarr On The Rise
Sarr’s eight blocks in the Summer League beat the previous record of seven, which occurred five times in history, with Jaren Jackson Jr. being the latest to hit that mark in 2018.
Sarr’s performance in Washington’s second Summer League game was a big jump from his first, as he had 15 points, four rebounds, and three blocks in their previous 19-point loss to the Phoenix Suns.
Though the Wizards still have low expectations for next season, Sarr’s recent numbers shows he has the potential to dominate on the defensive end of the floor.
Even though it’s only the Summer League, the 20-year-old looked like the best player on the floor at multiple points in the game. With that showing, Sarr proved that he can develop into the kind of modern big man who finds success in today’s NBA.
Though the second overall pick in last year’s draft, Sarr went under the radar for the Wizards last season as they finished at the bottom of the East with a record of 18-64. He finished second amongst rookies in blocks per game and fourth in points per game, but while Washington struggled, his numbers didn’t lead to much national attention.
His shooting, specifically from deep, left a lot to be desired, but as the year went on, he looked more and more confident as a player with the potential to elevate his all-around scoring ability.
Sarr led rookies last year in shots per game. While the teammates around him differed significantly from players like Stephon Castle on the San Antonio Spurs and Zaccharie Risacher on the Atlanta Hawks, he looked more confident than many expected as an immediate contributor in his first NBA season.
Washington’s Young Core
While the Wizards haven’t made the playoffs in four years and haven’t finished with more than 40 wins in seven years, they have hope that their new young core will have the ability to bring them back to the level of a competitive basketball team going forward.
Featuring both Sarr and Johnson as their latest top draft picks over the past two years, they also have a roster that features Bub Carrington, Kyshawn George, and Bilal Coulibaly.
Along with their youth, Washington also has veterans Khris Middleton and Marcus Smart under contract for next season. They’ve made multiple moves over the offseason, including trading Jordan Poole for C.J. McCollum and adding Cam Whitmore from the Houston Rockets.
The Wizards expect to buy out a few of their more experienced players before next season, which would give a better runway to develop and give more attention to their latest draft picks.
During the introductory press conference for their most recent draft picks of Johnson, Will Riley, and Jamir Watkins, Wizards general manager Will Dawkins expressed his excitement for the future of the team.
“I think we got better over the last couple of nights,” Dawkins said in the team’s press conference following the 2025 NBA Draft. “I think we’ve done a really good job as an organization targeting people… We’re digging deeper and finding as many sources as possible, and when they come in they usually just confirm who they are.”
The Wizards finished last season tied with their lowest amount of wins in franchise history, with just 18 under the first full year of head coach Brian Keefe. In what is expected to be a weakened Eastern Conference next season, they will have the potential to reach heights they haven’t seen this decade.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Wizards Former 2nd Overall Pick Sets Summer League Record appeared first on Heavy Sports.