PERTH , AUSTRALIA - MARCH 08: Alex Sarr of the Wildcats dunks during game one of the NBL Semifinal series between Perth Wildcats and Tasmania Jackjumpers at RAC Arena, on March 08, 2024, in Perth , Australia . Before Alex Sarr and the Perth Wildcats travelled to Las Vegas to play the G-League Ignite in a pair of exhibition games , the towering Frenchman was on the radar of NBA scouts.
For other players though, it could have just as easily been a curse and it would be understandable for an 18-year-old to falter under that kind of pressure. “You can look objectively at that game and say if those other two are supposed to be the top pick, Sarr was clearly dominant and right at, if not above their level, if we’re being honest,” another general manager said.
If not, there have also been “rumblings” according to NBA insider Marc Stein that the San Antonio Spurs could trade up to partner Sarr with French phenom Victor Wembanyama. When the NBL first communicated to teams that Sarr had genuine interest in coming to the league as a Next Star there was “a high level of interest” according to Santamaria.
It wasn’t just the fact Sarr made those shots but the fact four-time MVP Bryce Cotton trusted him to make them.“Like, ‘Wow, this kid’s obviously only 18, but he’s actually making shots in clutch moments and he’s not afraid to take them’. But beyond the numbers he put up, more valuable than anything else was the lessons Sarr learned playing in a league that tested his physicality.
“Where he has the potential to have an elite level of impact in the NBA is at the defensive end and his ability to rotate across and protect the rim,” Santamaria said. “But you are seeing it now, you are seeing the whole world take notice. You are seeing NBA teams down here more and more. You are seeing the Next Stars initiative take off and it has gone global. It has reached heights unknown and unseen before. This league is for real.”Giddey, Dieng and now Sarr have followed suit, climbing up draft boards and helping lift the league’s international visibility in the process.
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