<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/wizards-news-alex-sarr-1-wish-bilal-coulibaly-after-slam-vs-hornets');   ga('set', 'title', 'Wizards’ Alex Sarr reveals 1 wish for Bilal Coulibaly after electrifying slam vs. Hornets');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Wizards-news-Alex-Sarr-reveals-1-wish-for-Bilal-Coulibaly-after-electrifying-slam-vs.-Hornets.jpg"></figure><h1>Wizards’ Alex Sarr reveals 1 wish for Bilal Coulibaly after electrifying slam vs. Hornets</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-21T01:54:23-08:00">December 21st, 1:54am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-22T00:27:05-08:00">December 22nd, 12:27am</time><address><a>Joshua Valdez</a>Joshua Valdez started his journalism career as the Sports Editor for the Rutgers University newspaper before becoming an associate editor and Washington Wizards/Mystics reporter for ClutchPoints. He is a diehard Yankees, Jets, Knicks, Rutgers, and Tottenham Hotspur fan. When Joshua is not either watching a game or writing about one, you can find him in an art-house movie theater or working on a screenplay.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Charlotte Hornets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Washington <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nikola-jokic-career-high-performance-spoiled-with-nuggets-loss-to-wizards">Wizards had a landmark day</a> on Thursday, from start to finish. Not only did the organization release new renderings of upcoming renovations to Capital One Arena, but<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-bilal-coulibaly-receives-espn-honor-after-strong-start-season"> Bilal Coulibaly delivered one of the best</a> dunks of the young NBA season in the 123-114 win over the Charlotte Hornets.</p><p>However, No. 2-overall pick Alex Sarr<a href="https://twitter.com/chasedcsports/status/1869957878448009414?s=46" rel="noopener"> is not satisfied,</a> via Monumental Sports Network’s Chase Hughes.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Alex Sarr had a great view of Bilal Coulibaly’s alley oop tonight: “It was very spectacular. I want to see more of that.” <a href="https://t.co/mM0RwpY4vn">pic.twitter.com/mM0RwpY4vn</a></p><p>— Chase Hughes (@chasedcsports) <a href="https://twitter.com/chasedcsports/status/1869957878448009414?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 20, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“It was pretty crazy. I thought he was gonna miss it, like I was getting ready to go get a board, but it was wild,” the French international said. “He jumped really high, it was very spectacular. I want to see more of that.”</p><p>It makes sense that Sarr doubted Coulibaly while he was in midair, as the latter Frenchman jumped as high as Michael Jordan. Coulibaly, though, <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1869930937930092851" rel="noopener">emphatically finished the alley-oop</a> after Jordan Poole tossed the lob.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Another look at Bilal Coulibaly getting ALL THE WAY up to finish the alley-oop dunk 🤯<a href="https://t.co/ubf5SfDX5x">pic.twitter.com/ubf5SfDX5x</a> <a href="https://t.co/2iAdYkAdAr">https://t.co/2iAdYkAdAr</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1869930937930092851?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 20, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>While Sarr’s “want to see more” comment was light-hearted, it’s a good point to make. Thursday was the type of day the organization needs to have periodically as it rebuilds with a new front office, coaching staff, and roster. From NBA commissioner Adam Silver announcing that future All-Star Games will be held in Washington, to Coulibaly’s viral highlight, and to winning its fourth game of the season, the day was a doozy in the best way possible. However, the Wizards must continue the momentum.</p><p>Outside of the dunk, Coulibaly posted a decent stat line of 14 points on 5-of-13 shooting, with seven rebounds and five assists. The second-year guard’s 2-of-7 clip from deep, though, leaves something to be desired, especially against a non-contending team like the Hornets.</p><p>Taking the good with the bad is what rebuilding is all about, though. While Sarr didn’t produce sexy highlights, for example, he delivered a well-rounded line of 19 points on 6-of-13 shooting (3-6 3Pt) with nine rebounds, five assists, and three blocks.</p><p>The blocks are par for the course with the seven-footer, but the efficient three-point shooting and assist numbers show that he’s growing in weaker areas of his game. He’s now shooting 37.8% from deep over his last 10 games, and it would be a revelation for Washington if he maintains that for the rest of the year.</p><p>While there’s still plenty of room to grow for both players, they deserve to celebrate whenever the trials and tribulations finally pay off in wins.</p><h2><b>Bilal Coulibaly, Wizards vets encouraged rookies during slump</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Wizards_-Bilal-Coulibaly-falling.jpg"><figcaption>© Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Thursday’s victory brought Washington to 4-21 on the year, a game and a half behind the New Orleans Pelicans (5-23) at the very bottom of the NBA standings. While this season was always about development more than winning, it’s still hard to lose so much and stay invested, especially for young players.</p><p>Coulibaly, though, is in a unique position. The 20-year-old is still new himself, but he’s already<a href="https://twitter.com/bijan_todd/status/1868474602466455804" rel="noopener"> become a mentor</a> for the Wizards’ rookies, via Monumental Sports Network’s Bijan Todd.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Bilal Coulibaly says he and the vets talk to the rookies often through the losing streak to encourage them.</p><p>“In 5 years we’re gonna look back and be like, ‘Man, it was tough,’ and we’re gonna laugh about it.”</p><p>Says the rookies are mad with the slump, but learning. <a href="https://t.co/eXltbGarnQ">pic.twitter.com/eXltbGarnQ</a></p><p>— Bijan Todd (@bijan_todd) <a href="https://twitter.com/bijan_todd/status/1868474602466455804?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“We’re trying to talk to them a lot, me, JP, all the vets,” Coulibaly said after Washington’s 112-98 loss to the Boston Celtics on Sunday.<br>“We’ve been through this last year. In five years we’re gonna look back and be like ‘Man it was tough,’ and we’re gonna laugh about it. Now, we’re just gonna stay with it. It’s tough, really, tough, but that’s how you get better.”</p><p>It’s one thing for veterans such as Poole, Malcolm Brogdon, and Jonas Valanciunas to take the young bucks under their wings, as they all have established track records and know everything there is to know about playing in the NBA.</p><p>Conversely, Coulibaly is still finding his way while also guiding Sarr, Bub Carrington, and Kyshawn George. Most second-year players wouldn’t have so much mentoring responsibility, but the fact that he produces on the court while also supporting three rookies through the toughest stretches imaginable is a good sign for the franchise.</p><p>“They’re mad because we’re losing a lot, and I get it, I’m mad too,” Coulibaly continued. “But we’re just not trying to show them that we’re mad, ’cause they gotta learn from us.”</p><p>Those frustrating moments are what makes days like Thursday so much sweeter. Building character during tough times isn’t just a cliche, it results in payoffs like glorious alley-oops and Sarr unexpectedly becoming a reliable three-point shooter so early in his career, despite being drafted as a defensive player.</p><p>Now, Washington must be consistent. The club has shown flashes recently, such as Thursday’s win, a hard-fought 115-105 loss to the 24-4 Cleveland Cavaliers on December 13th, and a 122-113 victory over the Denver Nuggets on the 7th. Once they deliver these types of performances in consecutive games, the Wizards will be in the best position they could’ve hoped for at this point.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Wizards’ Alex Sarr reveals 1 wish for Bilal Coulibaly after electrifying slam vs. Hornets

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/wizards-news-alex-sarr-fires-warning-washington-nikola-jokic-matchup-2');   ga('set', 'title', 'Alex Sarr fires ‘locked in’ warning to Wizards before Nikola Jokic matchup');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Wizards-news-Alex-Sarr-fires-locked-in-warning-to-Washington-before-Nikola-Jokic-matchup.jpg"></figure><h1>Alex Sarr fires ‘locked in’ warning to Wizards before Nikola Jokic matchup</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-06T12:43:02-08:00">December 6th, 12:43pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-06T12:43:02-08:00">December 6th, 12:43pm</time><address><a>Joshua Valdez</a>Joshua Valdez started his journalism career as the Sports Editor for the Rutgers University newspaper before becoming an associate editor and Washington Wizards/Mystics reporter for ClutchPoints. He is a diehard Yankees, Jets, Knicks, Rutgers, and Tottenham Hotspur fan. When Joshua is not either watching a game or writing about one, you can find him in an art-house movie theater or working on a screenplay.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Washington <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-alex-sarr-joins-bradley-beal-exclusive-club">Wizards rookie Alex Sarr</a> is off to a promising start, as he’s tied for seventh in the NBA with 1.9 blocks per game. However, the No. 2 overall pick will have his hands full guarding <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-why-another-nikola-jokic-mvp-award-is-bad-for-the-nba-per-kevin-hart">three-time MVP Nikola Jokic</a> on Saturday night.</p><p>Sarr admitted that Washington <a href="https://twitter.com/joshvaldez100/status/1865104581132165158?s=46" rel="noopener">must be ‘locked in,</a>‘ as the Serbian international is known to wreck games.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Alex Sarr mentions Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic as players he’s now faced that he watched growing up abroad. Also mentioned the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Wizards?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Wizards</a> need to be “locked in” against three-time MVP Nikolai Jokic tomorrow night. <a href="https://t.co/yxkp9IZ3JA">pic.twitter.com/yxkp9IZ3JA</a></p><p>— Joshua Valdez (@joshvaldez100) <a href="https://twitter.com/joshvaldez100/status/1865104581132165158?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 6, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“It’s gonna be interesting. I think we all gotta be locked in,” Sarr said. “He’s good in the post, so it’s really important for me to do my work early and for us to be in good rotation spots.”</p><p>The French international admitted that he could learn plenty from “The Joker,” but he’s not in a studious mood.</p><p>“Probably a lot of stuff, but I’m going into the matchup competing,” Sarr continued.</p><p>Jokic has dominated as usual this season, ranking third in the league with 29.9 points per game, first with 13.4 rebounds, second with 10.4 assists, and 16th with a 55.9% shooting clip. Both Sarr and fellow big man Jonas Valanciunas will need to be at their best to deal with such a daunting assignment, especially because Washington is banged up. Corey Kispert, Kyshawn George, and Malcolm Brogdon, who all could play help defense on Jokic if healthy, are listed as game-time decisions against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night.</p><p>Jokic is the latest in a long line of NBA stars that will go toe-to-toe with Sarr after he watched him growing up.</p><p>“Yeah, I watched a lot of players, honestly. Growing up, I used to watch a lot of NBA games,” the 19-year-old said. “I watched Kyrie [Irving], I watched Luka [Doncic], all those guys. It’s almost every night that we go up against a player I used to watch.”</p><p>With that being said, Sarr’s idols are now his rivals, and there’s no time to be sentimental when lining up against a future Hall-of-Famer.</p><h2><b>Alex Sarr has unusual amount of responsibility on Wizards</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Victor-Wembanyama-2.jpg"><figcaption>Scott Wachter-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Sarr, who was brought in for his defense and rebounding prowess,<a href="https://twitter.com/joshvaldez100/status/1865091122302709793" rel="noopener"> is performing up to</a> Washington head coach Brian Keefe’s standard.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Wizards?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Wizards</a> head coach Brian Keefe commends Alex Sarr’s rim protection and offensive rebounding against the Mavericks. The No. 2 overall pick has 17 boards and four blocks over the last two games. <a href="https://t.co/IhQG3Ztrdi">pic.twitter.com/IhQG3Ztrdi</a></p><p>— Joshua Valdez (@joshvaldez100) <a href="https://twitter.com/joshvaldez100/status/1865091122302709793?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 6, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“I thought Alex did a pretty good job protecting the rim last night,” he said about Sarr’s outing in Thursday’s 137-101 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. “His plus-minus looked good when he was on the court, and I thought he found some offensive rebounds and rolls to the rim there in the second half. I thought his presence was pretty good.”</p><p>Indeed, the 7-footer’s eight rebounds were tied for the team lead, and his two blocks were business as usual, as he’s recorded a rejection in 19 of his 20 games played. His 6.3 rebounds per game are second on the Wizards only to Valanciunas.</p><p>Sarr’s scoring has been reliable as well, though, relative to his experience level. The former Australian League player is sixth among rookies with 10.6 points per game and 18th with a 38.3% clip from the field. That’s an encouraging sign for a player who wasn’t known for his offense coming into the league.</p><p>Playing professionally overseas is a legitimate way to prepare for the NBA, as players like Doncic have proven. Sarr is the latest example of that, and in his case, it’s impressive that he’s shouldering such a significant role right away. The benefit of starting on a rebuilding team like Washington is that it allows young players to get more playing time, and that can only mean good things for the defensive stalwart.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Alex Sarr fires ‘locked in’ warning to Wizards before Nikola Jokic matchup

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/wizards-news-alex-sarr-joins-bradley-beal-exclusive-club');   ga('set', 'title', 'Wizards’ Alex Sarr gets hype train going after joining Bradley Beal in exclusive club');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Wizards-news-Alex-Sarr-gets-hype-train-going-after-joining-Bradley-Beal-in-exclusive-club.jpg"></figure><h1>Wizards’ Alex Sarr gets hype train going after joining Bradley Beal in exclusive club</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-26T22:07:23-08:00">November 26th, 10:07pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-26T22:07:47-08:00">November 26th, 10:07pm</time><address><a>Alex House</a>Alex House is a sports journalist who covers the NFL, NBA, and MLB for ClutchPoints. He grew up in a New York sports-heavy region in Connecticut and earned his journalism degree at the University of Rhode Island. His in-depth knowledge of two of the most passionate and raucous fan bases in the country gives him a truly unique writing voice.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>There have already been a few surprises in the NBA this season, most notably the combustion of the Philadelphia 76ers and the 8-10 start by the feisty Brooklyn Nets, but the campaign is unfortunately going as anticipated for the Washington Wizards (2-14). The beleaguered franchise is alone in last place with a 2-14 record, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-kyle-kuzma-makes-punched-face-admission-after-loss-pistons">suffering through</a> a 12-game losing streak. Alex Sarr is emitting some light amid the seemingly endless darkness, however.</p><p>The rookie center is growing more comfortable on the court by the night. He posted 20 points, seven rebounds, one steal and one block while knocking down 4-of-5 attempts from 3-point range in a 127-108 loss to the Chicago Bulls. He made sure to give the home crowd in Capital One Arena something to smile about by displaying more promise and <a href="https://twitter.com/StatMamba/status/1861598921669099746" rel="noopener">etching his name in franchise history</a>.</p><p>Sarr joins three-time All-Star Bradley Beal and teammate Bilal Coulibaly as the only teenagers to record multiple 20-point games for the Wizards, per StatMamba. Calamity still awaits Washington and its fans, but the No. 2 overall pick is giving them a reason to believe that a turnaround may one day come.</p><h2><b>Can Alex Sarr eventually help end the Wizards’ misery?<br></b></h2><p>Sarr practically secured himself a spot on this team through <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/hawks-news-alex-sarr-breaks-silence-on-rejecting-atlanta-pre-draft-workout-request">his pre-draft actions</a> and is now determined to quickly become a building block of the next era of Wizards basketball. He was averaging 10.0 points on only 36 percent shooting ahead of Tuesday night’s matchup, but he is starting to find his way in The Association.</p><p>Alongside French countryman Coulibaly, Corey Kispert and fellow rookie Kyshawn George, the 19-year-old big man is looking to resuscitate the ailing franchise. If and when Kyle Kuzma (game-high 23 points against Bulls) and Jordan Poole are shipped out for more future assets, Alex Sarr should be asked to lead the Wizards.</p><p>But for now, his main <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-alex-sarr-confident-take-offensive-development">focus needs to be on development</a>. Although a milestone is nice, he and his teammates are starving for a win. They will try to secure one on Wednesday versus the incoming Los Angeles Clippers (11-8).</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Wizards’ Alex Sarr gets hype train going after joining Bradley Beal in exclusive club

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/wizards-news-alex-sarr-confident-take-offensive-development');   ga('set', 'title', 'Wizards rookie Alex Sarr’s confident take on offensive development');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Alex-Sarr-%E2%80%98feels-confident-about-offensive-performance-after-showing-flashes.jpg"></figure><h1>Wizards rookie Alex Sarr’s confident take on offensive development</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-16T15:21:04-08:00">November 16th, 3:21pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-16T15:21:58-08:00">November 16th, 3:21pm</time><address><a>Joshua Valdez</a>Joshua Valdez started his journalism career as the Sports Editor for the Rutgers University newspaper before becoming an associate editor and Washington Wizards/Mystics reporter for ClutchPoints. He is a diehard Yankees, Jets, Knicks, Rutgers, and Tottenham Hotspur fan. When Joshua is not either watching a game or writing about one, you can find him in an art-house movie theater or working on a screenplay.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Washington <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-alex-sarr-defense-draws-jonas-valanciunas-best-league-admission">Wizards rookie Alex Sarr</a> is already an elite rim protector, as he’s tied for fourth in the NBA with 2.4 blocks per game thus far. However, the French international is also excited about his offensive game.</p><p>Sarr<a href="https://twitter.com/joshvaldez100/status/1854275839422320711?s=46" rel="noopener"> gave a self-evaluation</a> for that side of the ball thus far at practice.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">I asked Alex Sarr how he feels about his offensive game this far…he said he’s “improving every game” and “confident about it” <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/wizards?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#wizards</a> <a href="https://t.co/NChmoR0RfB">pic.twitter.com/NChmoR0RfB</a></p><p>— Joshua Valdez (@joshvaldez100) <a href="https://twitter.com/joshvaldez100/status/1854275839422320711?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 6, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“I feel like I’m improving every game, finding my spots, learning where to attack, so I’m pretty confident about it,” he said.</p><p>Sarr has 10.5 points per game on 36.5% shooting this year with 2.2 assists, including a 21.2% clip from beyond the arc and 71.4% from the charity stripe. The No. 2 overall pick scored a career-high 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting (3-4 3pt) in Friday’s loss to the Atlanta Hawks.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-brian-keefe-no-1-priority-development-of-alex-sarr-washington-rookies">Sarr was primarily drafted for his defense</a>, and he’s been up to the task on that side of the ball. In addition to his blocking prowess, the 19-year old has recorded a steal in seven of his 11 games played thus far, peaking with three swipes against the Hawks on Friday.</p><p>If Sarr can develop into an upper-echelon scoring big man as well, though, he’ll be a franchise cornerstone for years to come.</p><h2><b>Wizards couldn’t have hoped for a better start by Alex Sarr</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/dribbles-around-Washington-Wizards-forward-Alex-Sarr-12.jpg"><figcaption>© Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Although the season is still young, Sarr has already improved his shooting efficiency. The seven-foot, 205-pounder shot 29.7% from the field in October, but has a 39.7% mark thus far in November.</p><p>Wizards head coach Brian Keefe gushed over Sarr’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YXsFsu5ytg" rel="noopener">effort against the</a> Hawks, via the team’s YouTube channel.</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><p>“I think one of the things that was great about Alex was his activity,” Keefe said. “Steals, blocked shots, offensive rebounding. Sometimes that just leads to you getting some good shots.”</p><p>In addition to his 20 points and four steals, Sarr also had seven rebounds, two assists, and three blocks across 31 minutes. It was not only the lottery pick’s best outing of his young career, but it was an early example of his potential to impact the game in multiple ways, even when he doesn’t shoot the lights out every night.</p><p>“I think the one thing that’s great about Alex is that he does not waver and he has never wavered since I’ve been around him,” Keefe continued. “He continues to play, he continues to compete. Shot doesn’t go in, it doesn’t affect how he plays on the other end. This is a guy who can move on to the next possession. It’s really mature for someone his age to be able to do that. It’s a great quality that he has.”</p><p>It’s easy for young players to be sheepish when they don’t always light up the scoreboard. However, thanks to his confidence and dedication, Sarr has still been an effective rebounder and defender even when the shots haven’t fallen. As a result, he’s able to have nights like he did on Friday.</p><p>“You got to keep shooting at the end of the day,” Sarr said. “I feel like you just got to stay confident in your game.”</p><p>Any player drafted as a lottery pick has talent in spades, but what separates the best ones is their mental fortitude. Sarr has already shown the ability to bounce back from nights like Wednesday against the San Antonio Spurs, when he made just two of nine shots as superstar big man Victor Wembanyama registered his first career 50-point game.</p><p>Washington may be struggling at 2-9, but these flashes from young players like Sarr show that the rebuild is right on schedule.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Wizards rookie Alex Sarr’s confident take on offensive development

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/hawks-news-zaccharie-risacher-embarrasses-alex-sarr-battle-top-2-nba-draft-picks');   ga('set', 'title', 'Hawks’ Zaccharie Risacher embarrasses Alex Sarr in battle of top 2 NBA Draft picks');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Zaccharie-Risacher-embarrasses-Alex-Sarr-in-battle-of-top-2-NBA-Draft-picks.jpg"></figure><h1>Hawks’ Zaccharie Risacher embarrasses Alex Sarr in battle of top 2 NBA Draft picks</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-30T19:31:09-07:00">October 30th, 7:31pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-30T19:31:09-07:00">October 30th, 7:31pm</time><address><a>Michael Aaron Gomez</a>Michael Aaron Gomez is a creative writer and longtime NBA fan. He has been a fan of the Lakers since the three-peat but believes LeBron James is the greatest player of all time.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Hawks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Washington Wizards swept their home-and-home series against the Atlanta Hawks, 133-120, on Wednesday behind a career-high 27 points from Bilal Coulibaly and a massive 16-4 run to begin the fourth period. Despite Trae Young’s 35 points and 15 assists, the shorthanded Hawks didn’t have enough gas to take the game when it mattered. Still, at least Hawks rookie and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/hawks-2024-nba-draft-grade-for-zaccharie-risacher">No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher</a> got one over on Wizards rookie and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-2024-nba-draft-grades-every-pick">No. 2 overall pick Alex Sarr</a> with a filthy up-and-under move in the first quarter.</p><p>Check out Risacher’s filthy post move against Sarr in this clip shared by ClutchPoints on X, formerly Twitter.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Zaccharie Risacher with the SMOOTH pivot on Alex Sarr for the bucket 🔥<a href="https://t.co/ZukEHP7Zou">pic.twitter.com/ZukEHP7Zou</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1851770554711171094?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 30, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><h2><b>Wizards def. Hawks despite Young’s big night</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Zaccharie-Risacher-shooting-over-a-defender.jpg"><figcaption>© Dale Zanine-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Hawks were without defensive guard Dyson Daniels and sharpshooter <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/hawks-news-bogdan-bogdanovic-out-four-weeks">Bogdan Bogdanovic, out with a hamstring injury</a> for at least four weeks. Moreover, wingman De’Andre Hunter also missed the game with a knee issue.</p><p>Meanwhile, the Wizards played without one of their best players, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-kyle-kuzma-out-hawks-groin-strain">Kyle Kuzma, out with a right groin strain</a>. Despite the injuries, Young had a big night and helped his team outscore the Wiz in the first half, while Jalen Johnson exploded for 21 points and 17 rebounds on 9-21 shooting.</p><p>Young didn’t shoot the ball well, going only 12-28 from the field and 4-13 from the three-point line, but he received some support from Johnson and Zaccharie Risacher, who poured in 17 points for the Hawks.</p><p>However, turnovers in the third quarter caught up to the Hawks and gave the Wizards easy points, giving them enough momentum to break the game open in the fourth.</p><p>“I think <a href="https://www.peachtreehoops.com/2024/10/29/24282560/jalen-johnson-atlanta-hawks-washington-wizards-quotes-video-analysis" rel="noopener">we were battling fatigue</a>, is the best thing I could say,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said, via Graham Chapple for Peach Tree Hoops. “They were set in their defense, we were playing set defense a lot. Their length bothered us some.”</p><p>Likewise, Young lamented the injuries that depleted their roster for the game.</p><p>“It’s not great, it’s not fun. Obviously, I wish my team was full and healthy,” the All-Star guard said. “Wish I could have everybody out there with me…but they’re not and we’ve got to figure it out.”</p><p>Ultimately, the battle of the top rookies ended in Zaccharie Risacher’s favor, as Alex Sarr scored only 11 points on 3-9 shooting.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
11.2	6.4	2.1	1.8	0.8

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
11.2	6.4	2.1	1.8	0.8

Alex Sarr

Latest Alex Sarr News

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Wizards’ Alex Sarr gets hype train going after joining Bradley Beal in exclusive club

Wizards rookie Alex Sarr’s confident take on offensive development

Hawks’ Zaccharie Risacher embarrasses Alex Sarr in battle of top 2 NBA Draft picks

Alex
Sarr