Jordan Usher looked straight down the camera when asked about Alexandre Sarr: his prodigious French teammate.
It was a plea.
“Whichever NBA team gets him: Be careful with him and make him a hit guy,” Usher said, looking through the ESPN camera lens.
“Don’t tell him not to shoot threes, don’t tell him not to do anything. Because he’s so raw and so talented. Right now he can shoot threes, he can shoot a floater, he can dunk the ball, he can block the ball, he can handle it a little bit. I just don’t want anyone to shape it the wrong way. ”
The way Sarr played to begin his NBL career with the Perth Wildcats elicited this kind of cautious but exciting response.
Initially, it was about Sarr joining the Wildcats to bolster their rebounding and rim protection stocks; two of the team’s glaring problems from last season. What the 18-year-old actually is is one of the world’s young generational talents, with enviable all-around skills and a ceiling so high it’s almost undetectable.
“I don’t consider myself a unicorn, but I think it’s something that’s important to me,” Sarr told ESPN. “Being able to do everything on the pitch.
“I’m a great all-rounder. I can play with the ball, without the ball, I can shoot threes, crash the glass. Then, on defense, [I can] I guard most positions, I think…I always try to make the right play and play the game the right way.
Sarr really announced himself in the Wildcats’ two exhibition games against the NBA G-League Ignite in September; the Frenchman dropped 17 points, seven rebounds and six blocks in the first game, then 26 points, 10 rebounds, six blocks and three assists in the next.
The 7’1” frame – with a 7’5” wingspan – was on display. So was timing and rim protection on the defensive end. He came out to catch and shoot threes, had nice touch around the rim and defended well in space. More importantly, he showed great motor skills for which he had often been criticized during his junior career.
“I showed my competitiveness and the drive,” Sarr said.
“I’ve gotten better at it, and it’s something I wanted to show. I’ve always had it. I’ve always been a competitor. To go out there and prove that it was something I I was proud.”
Sarr says he wants to work on his overall endurance during his season in the NBL’s Next Stars program in Perth – “to be more efficient, even when I’m tired”, he says – and early feedback indicate that his role in John Rillie’s team is only likely to increase as each game passes.
Through his first three games of the NBL season, Sarr is averaging 12 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game, shooting 71.4 percent from the field, including 66.7 percent from the city center. The sample size is incredibly small, but the production portion of these stats should hover around these numbers throughout the season. Every game, Sarr has earned more minutes, and that should only help him reach his ceiling even faster.
“I think he has a lot of untapped potential,” Bryce Cotton told ESPN.
“Coming back here, he’s kind of finding his rhythm within the team; what his niche is going to be. I expect him to be very dominant. I said earlier: I hope it’s the only time I’ll play with him, because that means he’s gone to the NBA to do his thing.
When you talk to people around the Wildcats, there’s almost a feeling of confusion. Most of them refer to Sarr as a “kid” because he’s only 18, so they’re protective of his development, but there’s also respect for his maturity, on and off the field.
“He’s a young kid who has a baby face but you can see it in his play, there’s really no roof for him right now,” Usher said.
“There’s no ceiling. The only thing I told him is to keep working hard and be yourself, because I’m really excited to see what the NBA team does for him. will offer, because they really have a ball of clay. A real ball of clay. .
“He’s going to have a killer career. He’s the best young guy. He’s so nice. He’s fiery, he’s funny. He loves his video games. He loves Rick and Morty. He’s a kid who’s going to have a super illustrious career and I just can’t wait to see him do it.”
Keanu Pinder – with whom Sarr occupies the fifth place and sometimes shares the field in the first zone – had a specific comparison when describing the behavior of the French center.
“It reminds me a little [Josh] Giddey, when he came into the league,” Pinder told ESPN.
“He was mentally mature. Seeing that basketball maturity at that age is special, so you can say he’ll go far.
Sarr was accompanied by his parents, Marie and Massar, upon his arrival in Perth, and had the opportunity to spend the first two weeks of pre-season training solely with the team’s younger players. This was deliberated by Rillie, the team’s head coach, so that inexperienced team members could get a feel for the playing style and coaching staff before the veterans arrived.
Sarr also has the advantage of having a brother, Olivier, who is in his third season in the NBA; currently under a two-way contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder. This foundation got him off to a near-perfect start to his time in Perth; something Rillie has taken note of, but he keeps an eye on how the teen handles adversity when it inevitably hits.
“He’s definitely someone who will make an impact and help the Perth Wildcats win their 11th championship,” Rillie told ESPN.
“There’s going to be some speed bumps. You’re seeing a great version of him right now. I really want to see when he hits a wall, what’s the next step. Everyone’s criticizing who he’s not. It’s just a great opportunity for him to show where he is going as a player.
Sarr’s maturity is a recurring theme when speaking with those around the Wildcats. He’s currently No. 4 in ESPN’s latest mock draft for 2024, with the prospect of finishing No. 1 overall, but has handled that hype and pressure as well as any youngster in 18 years old.
This attention also puts a target on his back. We’ve seen opposing players particularly harsh on him – Tyler Cook dunk on Sarr before the two men argued – and don’t expect that to stop just because he’s young.
Indeed, during his time in the NBL, Sarr is not judged by his age, or even his ceiling, but by what he is capable of at the moment. And he’s a player who can impact winning in one of the toughest professional leagues in the world.
“I don’t think age matters,” Sarr said.
“I just think it’s about how you can play, how you can perform. If you can play, you just have to play. I don’t see it as something intimidating. I like the challenge. I’d rather be in that position than just be seen as a young guy who can’t really produce.”
