Alex Sarr – Syndication Server

France dominating the NBA Draft is a great sign for international basketball and maybe scary for Team USA

The French Connection is here

This is For The Win’s daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Did a friend recommend or forward this to you? If so, subscribe here. Have feedback? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey! Now, here’s Mike Sykes.

Goooood morning, Winners! Thanks so much for reading the Morning Win today. We appreciate you. Happy Friday, Jr.

I, for one, am happy to welcome our new French overlords to the NBA.

France is really taking over the league, folks. It’s incredible to watch. This year, Zaccharie Risacher made a bit of history as the fourth international prospect in the league’s history to go No. 1 overall. Say what you want about the guy, but he played (and dominated!) in the same league his predecessor, Victor Wembanyama, played in. That’s impressive.

But the French connection didn’t stop there. Overall, in the 2024 draft, three Frenchmen were picked in the top six. That includes Risacher, Alex Sarr (No. 2 to Washington) and Tidjane Salaün (No. 6 to Charlotte). When you throw in Pacôme Dadiet (No. 25 to New York), that’s four French players taken in the first round of this draft.

That’s already impressive, but it becomes even more so when you look at last season. Two Frenchmen, Wembanyama and Bilal Coulibaly, went in the top seven of the draft. That means five of the top 14 NBA draft picks over the last two years were from France.

As Wemby says, C’est la France frère. The takeover is here.

France has long been a staple in basketball. Since the days of Tony Parker and Boris Diaw, who played roles as key cogs for the Spurs, plenty of French talent has gone through the NBA. But I’m unsure we’ve ever seen anything like this.

These players aren’t just talented — they’re expected to be some of the best players in the league. Wembanyama might actually be the best player in the league soon. That’s an exciting thought.

At least until it’s time for Team USA to play France in the Olympics and World Cup. Then it becomes a bit terrifying.

Just call him AI Michaels from now on

Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

The more technology advances, the less human things are beginning to feel.

NBC is bringing AI to the Olympics in possibly the most disturbing way. The network will use an AI version of Al Michaels to recap the day’s most important events.

This is beyond disturbing for two reasons:

First, Al Michaels is still alive, folks. Why not just … ya know, use him instead of Siri him?
Second, is this something we’re going to see moving forward in our sports and in our media? It certainly feels like a precursor of what’s to come.

Our Robert Zeglinski has more on why this is so disheartening here:

“It’s dispiriting that NBC is content to imitate one of the biggest sports voices it has ever had, especially since he is still alive and kicking. Michaels does a pro football game every week on a streaming service during the NFL season. He couldn’t have come back to NBC to record a few lines for a worldwide sports event? I find that hard to believe.

It’s troublesome that these kinds of decisions might soon define our sports-watching and sports-consuming future, which is only a microcosm of a greater collective. When the human element is even excised from the broadcast booth — the one place where a fan should always reasonably expect dependability and energy — then nothing is off limits.

Most of all, watching companies like NBC willingly hop into bed with these sorts of services without even a second thought is infuriating. And it doesn’t matter why they have decided to do so, either. Be it to cut costs or to invest in a hollow foundation devoid of any real exciting spark, it all comes from the same place of desperation and motivation. It’s all borne of the same brand of business cowardice to “get ahead or get left behind” without ever thinking about potential long-term consequences.”

Hopefully, this isn’t a sign of things to come. But, given our hubris as human beings, it probably is.

Idols become rivals

Diana Taurasi #3 of the Phoenix Mercury reacts after hitting a three-point shot against the Las Vegas Aces during the second half of the WNBA game at Footprint Center on June 13, 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona — (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Folks couldn’t stop talking about Diana Taurasi’s feud with Caitlin Clark (if we can actually call it that) before the WNBA season started.

Feud is probably too strong of a word to describe it. Taurasi had some criticisms of Clark’s game, just like she does with a ton of other rookies, and some folks just took it to heart.

Now, we can talk about the basketball of it all. The two will play each other for the first time this Sunday. Taurasi was asked about it and she had what our Cory Woodroof described as a “delightfully blunt” answer about facing the rookie.

“As Clark and Taurasi finally square off in Phoenix this weekend, Taurasi was asked how she feels ahead of the marquee matchup. Her response was predictably fantastic and delightfully blunt.

“Yeah, it’ll be fun,” Taurasi told reporters, via Desert Wave Media.

If that’s not the perfect Taurasi answer, we’re not sure what is.”

I cannot wait to watch this game, man.

Quick hits: The top 32 NHL prospects … The most stylish players in the NBA Draft … and more

— Here’s Mary Clarke with the 32 best prospects ahead of the NHL Draft

— Here’s Blake Schuster with the best outfits we saw on NBA Draft night. These guys are fly.

— Charles Curtis has the draft order for Day 2 of the NBA Draft. Two days! Whew.

— This batboy absolutely saved Shohei Ohtani’s face and he deserves a raise.

— Bryan Kalbrosky has the best prospects available for Day 2 of the NBA Draft here.

— And here’s Cory Woodroof on why Bronny James wasn’t a first-round pick this year.

That’s a wrap, folks! Thanks so much for reading! We appreciate you. Have a great day. Peace.

-Sykes

Alex Sarr seems to be forcing his way to the Wizards in the NBA Draft and we just want to know if he’s sure about that

Shoutout to Alex Sarr but, uhhh, is he sure?

Welcome to Layup Lines, For the Win’s basketball newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Have feedback for the Layup Lines Crew? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey. Now, here’s Mike Sykes

Happy Friday, folks! Welcome back to Layup Lines. Thanks so much for joining me today. I hope you’ve had a great week with an even better weekend ahead of you.

Don’t look now, but the NBA Draft is less than a week away! The festivities will begin next Wednesday and Thursday. A new crop of players will begin their NBA journeys.

The best out of that crop might be Alex Sarr — the 6-foot-11 Frenchman with a 7-foot-4 wingspan. He is widely regarded as one of the best prospects in this draft class. He’s bounced between No. 1 and No. 2 overall on ESPN’s big board all season. He may be the closest thing we have to a consensus top prospect in a draft without one.

That’s why it’s so confounding that he wants to doom himself to a future with the Washington Wizards.

According to the latest from Yahoo! Sports’ Jake Fischer, Sarr has been dodging workouts with the Atlanta Hawks in hopes of angling himself to go No. 2 overall to the Wizards. Yes, seriously.

Here’s more from Fischer:

“The Wizards are likely to remain at No. 2 as well, where Washington has the league convinced its focused on selecting Alex Sarr from the Perth Wildcats. The Wizards, according to people familiar with the situation, invested the most time and resources of any NBA club sending various personnel to Australia to evaluate Sarr. This situation is also considered the preferred outcome from Sarr’s camp, as it’s become well known that Sarr has so far declined to work out for Atlanta.”

Alex, my guy, are you sure about this one?

I mean, look. As a Wizards fan, I love this. It’s endearing that he wants to be in D.C. We love that sort of thing here. It goes a long way — just ask John Wall.

But dude. We ain’t talking about Harry Potter here. The Wizards have been, uh, Wizard-ing for a really, really long time. Udonis Haslem just said that players get sent to Washington to “get your affairs in order” a few days ago. And, look, as annoying as that is, he’s not wrong! There’s a reason why so many players leave D.C. and become NBA champions. It just hasn’t been great historically.

To be fair to Sarr, this might be less about the Wizards and more about the alternative. Sarr reportedly wants a more advanced offensive role as a power forward instead of a rim-running center. He’s more likely to find that in Washington than in Atlanta.

Plus, Bill Duffy, Sarr’s agent, doesn’t have a great history with Atlanta players either. So it makes sense that Sarr might be trying to angle his way down a pick here.

But, man. Alex, buddy. I hope you know what you’re in for.

READ MORE: Here’s Bryan Kalbrosky’s latest NBA mock draft with Sarr going No. 2 overall to Washington.

A brilliant idea for JJ Redick

Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports

JJ Redick probably won’t be a very good coach for the Lakers early in his tenure with the team. That’s generally how it goes for head coaches without experience leading an NBA bench.

But, given a bit of time, I think Redick could be pretty good! He has the passion for it. He just needs the reps.

Some fans proposed a pretty clever idea to get him up to speed — have him coach the Lakers’ Summer League team in Vegas this year. It’s a good idea! And it’s not without precedent — some pretty good coaches have done the same in recent years.

Bryan Kalbrosky has more on it here:

“Last season, before first-time Adrian Griffin took over for as the new head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, he and his coaching staff got their feet wet in Las Vegas. While his tenure with the organization was ill-fated, it was still a wise move.

Steve Kerr, another former player who did not have any head coaching experience before he was hired, also coached the Warriors in NBA Summer League before his first official game with Golden State in 2014.

The previous season, Jason Kidd also made his head coaching debut during NBA Summer League for the Brooklyn Nets.

Redick should consider doing the same thing so he can have as many reps as possible before eventually stepping on the sidelines for his first game.”

The Lakers should tap in on this. Get JJ in Vegas this summer.

Shootaround

— We’ve got trade grades for the Alex Caruso-Josh Giddey deal here from Robert Zeglinski.

— Prince Grimes has eight Lakers bets you should take a look at now that JJ Redick is the team’s head coach.

— The Celtics’ victory cigars are so deliciously petty and awesome. Here’s Meg Hall with more.

— Tom Brady loved the Drunk Brady t-shirt Al Horford wore to the Celtics’ parade. Here’s Charles Curtis with more.

That’s a wrap, folks! Thanks so much for reading today. We appreciate you. Have a great weekend! Peace.

-Sykes

Report: Hawks, Wizards considering Donovan Clingan at top of 2024 NBA draft

If Donovan Clingan is drafted at No. 1 or No. 2, that would leave at least one of Alex Sarr and Zaccharie Risacher available to Houston at No. 3 overall.

For much of the NBA’s 2024 pre-draft process, mock drafts have placed French forwards Alex Sarr and Zaccharie Risacher in the top-two slots. That would leave the remainder of the class available to the Houston Rockets, who are up next at No. 3 in the first round.

But, are Sarr and Risacher (in some order) a lock to go to Atlanta and Washington, and thus be off the board for Houston?

Not necessarily, per ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. He reported Friday:

University of Connecticut center Donovan Clingan… is in conversation at No. 1 after working out in Atlanta, which is exploring trade-down scenarios. He is also spending time in Washington, which has the No. 2 pick.

Should Clingan go at No. 1 or No. 2, that could leave either Sarr or Risacher on the board for the Rockets. Or, perhaps Houston is one of the teams that Atlanta could potentially trade down with.

Who's rising, falling from the NBA draft? We updated our top 100 rankings with tons of intel with what's going on around the world of the NBA Drafthttps://t.co/2LkCdpa7bt

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) June 7, 2024

There is recent precedent for a prospect outside of the consensus top two making a late jump to the top. In 2022, Paolo Banchero was widely viewed as behind Chet Holmgren and Jabari Smith Jr. during the pre-draft period, yet Orlando decided late in the process to take him at No. 1 (thus pushing Smith to Houston at No. 3).

Maybe there’s a similar dynamic in 2024. Whatever the case, with under three weeks left until the June 26 first round, it feels premature to rule out any option, given the instability at the top.

Clingan and his Connecticut teammate, guard Stephon Castle, are among the most popular mock-draft projections to Houston, as things currently stand. So, too, is Kentucky guard Reed Sheppard.

[lawrence-related id=124130,124125,124100]

2024 NBA draft: Alex Sarr reveals he grew up an OKC Thunder fan

2024 NBA draft: Alex Sarr reveals he grew up an OKC Thunder fan.

As the next wave of draft prospects starts to join the league, most grew up with the Oklahoma City Thunder dominating national broadcasts.

The 2010s featured plenty of the Thunder as they were a title contender headlined by Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. It shouldn’t be a shocker when draft prospects reveal OKC as their favorite childhood squad because of this.

That’s the case with probable 2024 No. 1 pick Alex Sarr. The 19-year-old revealed he grew up a Thunder fan.

“My brother first played for the Thunder on a two-way, that’s when I really liked starting looking at the Thunder a lot,” Sarr said. “I liked the Thunder back in the day when KD was playing there, too.”

Sarr’s older brother Olivier has been with the Thunder on a two-way deal for the last three seasons. He helped the OKC Blue on their journey to the G League title this past season before his campaign ended early with a ruptured Achilles tendon.

The 7-foot center will likely have a chance to play against the Thunder twice this upcoming season. The Atlanta Hawks will get a chance to pair Trae Young with the young big when they inevitably select him with the first pick. If the Hawks don’t select him, Washington has the second pick.

The full episode “Podcast P with Paul George” episode with Sarr can be watched below:

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

The latest 2024 NBA mock draft from Bleacher Report has Alex Sarr to the Wizards

Bleacher Report has a new player at No. 1 overall.

While initial expectations after the lottery had Alex Sarr as a projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, even that much is uncertain.

After the Hawks shockingly received the No. 1 pick in this draft, many expected the French big man to hear his name called first in this class. Sarr, however, is one of several candidates who could come off the board with that pick.

Others include Zaccharie Risacher, who recently had an outstanding playoff game in France.

In our first 2024 NBA mock draft after the lottery, we had Sarr projected to the Hawks in that pole position. But in the latest two-round mock draft from Bleacher Report, draft expert Jonathan Wasserman thinks that it could look a little different. Here is what he wrote:

“The Washington Wizards can ignore fit and needs at No. 2, though Alex Sarr could potentially check both the best-player-available box and give them the cornerstone big they’ve been missing.

He measured well in Chicago, coming in at just under 7’0″ in socks, 224 pounds with a 7’4″ wingspan. At that size, the ability to slide defensively, handle in the open floor and shoot off the dribble really separates him from other centers.

The Wizards will eventually need to find a point guard, but at No. 2, Sarr’s physical talent, evolving skill versatility and defensive upside create visions of upside that could be difficult to resist.”

This decision is far from over, but Sarr would make for an intriguing fit at No. 2 overall for the rebuilding Wizards and it isn’t exactly a significant fall from the top spot.

Make sure you check out our newest post-lottery mock draft, along with the official full draft order post-lottery.

Alex Sarr likely will be the No. 1 2024 NBA Draft pick, but Victor Wembanyama comparisons are so unfair

Alex Sarr is a French big who may go No. 1, but don’t compare him to Wemby.

The Atlanta Hawks shockingly won the lottery and now own the rights to the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.

When they are eventually on the clock, assuming that they keep the pick, the Hawks are expected to select Alex Sarr from the Perth Wildcats in Australia’s NBL. While this class may lack an obvious star player, the 19-year-old big is widely considered the most likely candidate to hear his name called first.

Sarr is a strong defensive prospect who showed some promising shooting touch while playing for the Wildcats. Considering that he is also originally from France, if he goes No. 1 overall, comparisons to Victor Wembanyama are only natural.

But even though he is the first player selected in this draft, comparing the two players is entirely unfair.

We are starting to see some of those trickle in already, though putting these players in the same conversation isn’t the right call. It starts Sarr off with very unrealistic expectations and sets him up for disappointment.

For one, Wembanyama is one of the most uniquely physically gifted players the NBA has ever seen. At 7-foot-3 in socks with an estimated wingspan of 8-foot, the NBA’s Rookie of the Year is beyond a rarity just on his physical measurements.

Meanwhile, Sarr officially measured at 6-foot-11.75 in socks with a 7-foot-4.5 wingspan. That is obviously impressive but a bit more prototypical.

It isn’t worth going over all of the similarities and differences between the two players, but most notably, Wembanyama was the most obvious No. 1 pick since LeBron James. He would have gone as the top prospect any year.

Sarr is probably who Atlanta would select if the draft were tomorrow, but he is far from a lock with the first pick. In many other drafts, he would likely not be as close to a consensus at No. 1 overall as he is now. Even this year, there are several other candidates that could actually leapfrog him on draft night.

Let both of these young players develop naturally on their own timelines without putting them side by side. It will be more fair to both of them that way.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1373]

See the moment the Hawks shockingly found out they won the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft

Atlanta only had a 3.0 percent chance of getting the top pick!

The Hawks (and not the Pistons) shockingly won the 2024 NBA Draft lottery and will have the top selection in the draft next months.

Atlanta came into the day with just a 3.0 percent chance of getting the top pick this year. But now, after making the play-in tournament but missing the playoffs, the Hawks will have an opportunity to add whatever prospect they would like in this class.

Atlanta will have several options when they are on the clock and may even consider trading the pick, but as of right now, 19-year-old big man Alex Sarr is the most likely candidate to hear his name called.

The Atlanta Hawks, who had just a three percent chance of winning the 2024 NBA Draft Lottery, end up with the No. 1 overall pick in a shocker. pic.twitter.com/WS2PtaFNhb

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 12, 2024

Here is a video of the moment when Hawks general manager Landry Fields found out live on ABC that his team will have the top choice in the draft next month.

Fields clearly knows he will have plenty of paths to consider during the pre-draft process.

Atlanta could add a talented young player to complement Trae Young, they can trade Young and fully embrace a rebuild, or they can choose something somewhere in the middle.

Until then, however, check out our latest post-lottery NBA mock draft.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1373]

The latest NBA mock draft from CBS has Alex Sarr going No. 1 overall to the Pistons

Seems like Sarr is the favorite to go first overall.

The 2024 NBA Draft has a bit of a mystery at the top of it as the lottery approaches: Who is the No. 1 pick?

Is it France’s Alex Sarr? His countryman Zaccharie Risacher? Serbia’s Nikola Topic?

In the latest 2024 mock draft from our Bryan Kalbrosky, he’s got Sarr to the Detroit Pistons, Topic to the Washington Wizards and Risacher to the San Antonio Spurs. Funny enough, that mirrors how the latest CBS Sports mock from Adam Finkelstein played out — it’s Sarr first overall to the Pistons, which might make sense for the rebuilding franchise even if they have a bunch of centers.

Here’s his take:

This is a class without an obvious No. 1 but Sarr is a mobile 7-footer with an elastic build and clear defensive versatility and upside. The biggest questions are with regard to his offense and the extent to which it develops will ultimately dictate his upside. I don’t love the fit, alongside a bad shooting Detroit team already littered with young bigs, but if the Pistons go for best available, Sarr is the early favorite.

There you have it! Make sure to check out our latest 2024 NBA mock draft from Bryan Kalbrosky.

A new 2024 NBA Draft poll of scouts revealed an intriguing prospect is the favorite to go No. 1

Who do you have at No. 1 overall?

While there is still plenty of time for this all to shake out, it is never too early to speculate about who will become the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.

Last year, long before the pick was made at Barclays Center, we knew who would hear his name called with the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft with nearly 100 percent certainty. There was never even a doubt that a team would select Victor Wembanyama at that position.

This year, no obvious candidate is waiting in the wings as a “can’t miss” prospect. But there is one player who has potentially separated himself from the pack, at least according to several NBA executives who spoke with draft insider Jeremy Woo (via ESPN):

“The 7-foot-1 French big man is currently sidelined with a hip injury but is presently expected to return before the end of the season. It’s worth noting that several of the Sarr voters expressed their lack of confidence in that outcome, but viewed him as the tentative best bet. […]

Sarr’s youth, versatility as a mobile defender and perimeter-friendly forward — coupled with the league-wide demand for tall, skilled frontcourt players — could give him the broadest degree of appeal amongst the top candidates. Sarr’s NBL role has been modest, but he’s grown into it nicely and demonstrated he can impact winning, which puts him in a good developmental place for a 7-footer who has yet to turn 19 and is still getting his first real taste of high-level basketball.”

The big man currently ranks No. 1 overall on ESPN’s Big Board. He is also projected to hear his name with the first pick in Yahoo’s latest mock draft.

Sarr, who plays for the Perth Wildcats in Australia’s NBL, received 12 votes from Woo’s survey of 20 scouts and executives. G League Ignite forward Ronald Holland received two votes and no other prospect received more than one.

[lawrence-related id=2178249]

2024 NBA mock drafts: OKC Thunder December/January picks projections

2024 NBA mock drafts: OKC Thunder December/January picks projections.

As the calendar flips to 2024, the NBA draft is roughly six months away. This also means college basketball is roughly two months away from starting March Madness.

2024 NBA mock drafts are rare during this part of the calendar, since it’s still incredibly early to project where teams land and which prospects rise and fall on boards. However, a handful of mocks have been posted during the last month.

The Oklahoma City Thunder, who have a 23-11 record and are second in the Western Conference standings, are rich with draft assets for this upcoming class.

The Thunder owns their first-round pick, a top-four protected pick from the Houston Rockets, a top-10 protected pick from the Utah Jazz and a first-round pick from the LA Clippers.

The Thunder also own the Rockets’ second-round pick. It’s important to note that the worst of the four first-round picks OKC owns will be conveyed to the Indiana Pacers.

However, it is unlikely the Thunder enter the 2024 NBA draft with this many draft picks. They can’t afford the luxury of adding several rookies to their roster.

This means a consolidation trade is likely whether to improve the roster by the trade deadline or to package picks for a future/better pick.

All these elements lead to a murky picture as to how exactly this year’s draft might go for the Thunder. Nonetheless, let’s look at the latest versions of mock drafts to see who could be added to OKC’s youthful roster.

For transparency, all three of these mocks were published at various times — Bleacher Report’s was published on Jan. 5, Tankathon’s was published on Dec. 28 and NBADraft.net’s was published on Jan. 5.