An underrated skill that sets Alex Sara apart from other NBA players

ByNBAUSA



WASHINGTON – Washington Wizards center Alex Sarr became the youngest player in franchise history to record 30-plus points and 10-plus rebounds in Tuesday’s game, but something else about his performance flew under the radar. The 20-year-old had five assists for the third straight game and is now tied for fifth among NBA bigs with 4.5 dinars per competitionper ESPN.

Wizards coach Brian Keefe talked about Sarr’s passing ability after Tuesday’s 139-134 overtime loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.

“I think that’s one of the things we saw early on, even going back to why we chose him,” he said. “I don’t think people talk enough about his passing ability, his ability to see the game. We like to play through him on elbows and stuff, and he can make reads. He’s got a good feel for the game, and we’re going to continue to do more of that.”

Sarr told ClutchPoints about those readings after Sunday’s 139-113 loss to the Charlotte Hornets.

“Being in quick actions, having the ball in those situations,” the 2025 first-team All-Rookie said of what helped him improve his passing. “Reading what my teammates are doing. Getting those reps helped me improve.”

Flash actions are when a player without the ball moves into an open spot on defense. Sarr has practiced passes to those teammates cuts to space from last season, as shown below.

Getting the ball to cutters is traditionally a guard’s job, but Sarr is part of the “positionless basketball” revolution in today’s NBA. Although the French international has shown flashes of his ability to lead as a rookie, he is now averaging 2.1 more assists than last season, albeit in just four games so far. He’s not yet at the level of big stars like Nikola Jokic (11.3 assists) and Alperen Sengun (7.3), but he’ll still be one of the best passers at the position if he keeps up his current pace.

Sarr shows that he can not only predict when teammates will open up, but also hit them in stride when they break free. The 7-foot-7, 205-pounder ranks third on Washington in assists average, trailing only veteran guard CJ McCollum and sophomore wing Keeshon Georgeeach of which has five. However, both of the latter players are averaging 5.5 more minutes while Sarr is on the mend The shin injury he sustained while playing for France at the EuroBasket.

Additionally, the 2025 Rising Star’s improvement in passing hasn’t come at the expense of the rest of his game. For example, he ranks fifth among centers with 19.5 points per contest and tied for fourth with two blocks, while also averaging 2.3 more rebounds than last season. Furthermore, his 55.2 percent clip is 15.8 percent higher than his rookie mark, which is in part due to him shooting inside more. He averaged 5.1 three-pointers last year, but has dropped to 2.8 so far this season.

Both the data and the eye test reveal that Sarr is developing into a do-it-all big man, and he’s not the only young Wizards player making the jump.

Kishawn George likes the Wizards’ unselfish approach

One of the themes of Washington’s first four games has been the team’s offensive unpredictability, as the second player has been the leading scorer in each. Veteran Khris Middleton led the team with 23 points (9-14 FG, 3-5 3-point) against the Milwaukee Bucks in the season opener, before George led the way with 34 points (11-15 FG, 7-9 3-point) in a 117-107 road win over the Dallas Mavericks. McCollum then led the way with 24 points (8-20 FG, 4-11 3-point) in a loss to the Hornets before Sarr led the way with 31 points (13-23 FG, 3-7 3-point) against the 76ers.

After the last competition, George explained what it was like to be on the team several different players who could have big goals.

“I think it’s really fun because nobody’s selfish on the team,” the former Miami Hurricane said. “To be able to go into a game and just play your game and have fun, and whoever goes out that night, goes out that night … I think it’s a relief to be able to stand on the floor and say ‘Who’s going to take it tonight?’

It’s not surprising that George is having fun considering he leads the Wizards in scoring (20.2) and rebounding (9.2) and is also tied with McCollum in assists, as mentioned earlier. The 21-year-old is also shooting 53.8 percent from deep despite 6.5 attempts on the night, and is second with 1.3 steals per game as well as 1.5 blocks.

That three-point efficiency is unsustainable, but the rest of his production isn’t. George has been Washington’s most consistent two-way player, a revelation considering he wasn’t a lottery pick. The Swiss and Canadian’s success is a testament to the team’s development program under president Michael Winger and general manager Will Dawkins.

As if that wasn’t enough, Tre Johnson is third on the team with 14.8 points on 44.9 percent shooting (39.3 percent from 3-point range). The former Texas Longhorn has no problem adjusting to the NBA from a scoring perspective, which was his biggest asset as a prospect.

The Wizards aren’t a contender just yet, but Sarr, George and Johnson are showing why they have one of the most exciting young cores in the league. Next up is a road matchup with the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night.





2025-10-30 18:37:00

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