He may end the week as a Washington Wizard, but Alex Sarr will forever be a Wildcat – and he’s praised the impact the NBL has had in fast-tracking his development as one of the NBA’s top draft prospects.
Sarr will on Thursday (WA time) be taken among the top few selections at the NBA Draft, with the Wizards at Pick 2 looming as the most likely landing spot for the 19-year-old, 213cm French phenom.
After getting a taste of professional sport in Perth, where he excelled in a sixth-man role last season, Sarr labelled the Australian competition a “really good pathway” for fellow prospects under the league’s Next Stars program.
“It’s a really physical league, and you have to be ready for that, but if you feel you’re ready for a professional game, the NBL is a no-brainer best decision,” Sarr said from a pre-draft event in New York.
“Even when it got hard, it’s just a learning curve.
“You can use every little part of it just to get better.”
Sarr’s season with the Wildcats taught him plenty, but he’s also had a comprehensive NBA education courtesy of older brother Olivier, a reserve with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“He’s already in the NBA, he already did what I want to do,” Sarr said.
“Just seeing him and his routine and how locked in he is… it helps me every day.”
Sarr named LA Lakers legend LeBron James as the player he was most looking forward to facing on the court, and described his upcoming draft-day attire as “unconventional” and “a little different” as he gets set for his first exposure to a global audience.
NBL commissioner Jeremy Loeliger said alongside Sarr’s obvious physical attributes, his attitude and work ethic would hold him in good stead as he adapts to life in the world’s pre-eminent hoops league.
“A couple of things that never go out of fashion: Humility and hard work. They’re the two terms I would use to describe Alex and what sets him apart from so many other people,” Loeliger said.
“He’s confident enough to go out and get it done without being arrogant enough to be complacent.”
The Wildcats will host two draft events at Belmont’s The Sporting Globe this week to celebrate Sarr, including a premiere screening of a documentary about the forward/centre called ‘Forever A Wildcat’.