The Atlanta Hawks will have the first pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, and unlike last year when Victor Wembanyama was the No. 1 pick, there is no consensus pick this year. But the favorite player to take first place is another French center, 7-foot-2 Alex Sarr.
Sarr’s path to the NBA was unique. He turned pro at age 14, with his young career beginning in Spain and France before moving to the United States, where his older brother Olivier played college basketball at Wake Forest and Kentucky before going undrafted in 2021. (Olivier Sarr played for the Oklahoma City Blue of the G League this season.)
Alex Sarr joined the Overtime Elite semi-pro program for two years and last spring moved 19,000 miles to Perth, Australia to play for the Wildcats in the National Basketball League as part of the NBL’s Next Stars program.
“The professional path is a better fit for me as a player and has helped me develop my game better,” Alex Sarr told Yahoo Sports last fall. “The spacing allows me more freedom and versatility, which is why I chose to play in the NBL and not college.”
Last September, to kick off the season, Sarr and his teammates traveled to Las Vegas for two exhibition games against the G League Ignite. More than 200 scouts and executives packed the arena to see Sarr and Ignite forwards Matas Buzelis and Ron Holland – all three projected lottery picks to start the season. In the first game, Sarr finished with 17 points, seven rebounds and six blocks in 29 minutes. In the second game, he looked even more comfortable, coming off the bench and recording a double-double with 26 points and 10 rebounds while also adding six blocks in a 127-112 victory.
This was Sarr’s coming out party. He made a strong statement and lasting impression in the first two games that would continue throughout the season.
“There were periods in both games where he was the best player on the court,” an NBA scout told Yahoo Sports. “A two-way player who showed everyone he’s more than just a rim protector.”
Sarr was a steady contributor for Perth, who finished third in the NBL regular season with an 18-13 record. The versatile center went through stretches with minor injuries, but never thought about abandoning the season early in the season, even after showing enough to be considered one of the top 5 prospects in the draft.
“Not finishing the season never crossed my mind, not once,” Sarr told Yahoo Sports in November. “I committed to this team and I will play until the end. I came here to get better and better and you can only get better if you’re on the court playing against real competition.”
Sarr averaged 9.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 18 minutes off the bench. He’s scored in countless ways all season, whether it’s dropping in long 3s in the pick-and-pop, taking players off the dribble, or catching lobs on the fly or in transition. Defensively, he is one of the best shot blockers in this draft class and can hit, deflect passes and alter shots with his 7-5 wingspan.
In Melbourne, Australia, checking out potential No. 1 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, Alex Sarr. Sold out crowd for Melbourne United v Perth Wildcats. (Random note: Todd Gurley is sitting here courtside) pic.twitter.com/gLF5WkkmP9
-Krysten Peek (@krystenpeek) November 6, 2023
“The NBA is evolving and becoming more and more positionless, so even with my size, I have to be able to defend all positions and feel comfortable with the ball in my hands,” Sarr said. “I feel like I’ve always been able to play on the perimeter and it’s nothing new or uncomfortable for me to go off the field and make plays.”
Because of his limited playing time with Perth, for the scouts who made the long trip to see Sarr play, the sample size was smaller. But the 19-year-old entered the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago looking physically stronger and tested well in agility and shooting drills. He did not participate in the 5-on-5 friendly games and will probably only meet and train for a few teams chosen from the top 5.
“I just want to show NBA scouts how impactful I can be on the court, on or off the ball,” said Sarr, who played two years in Atlanta for Overtime Elite and told reporters at the Combine that he went to several Hawks games, but he doesn’t know any of the players personally. “I think my versatility separates me from other bigs in this draft with my rim protection, powerful motor and shot creation.”
Most consider the preliminary class of 2024 to be weak. Although great players emerge, no one knows whether he will be the No. 1 pick or the No. 35 pick. But Sarr’s 7-1 advantage and his versatility as an inside-out two-way player project him into the same category as young hybrid centers. like Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren, who are taking the league by storm.
