There is no clear name claiming the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, and it seems like everyone is in on it.
Cody Williams. Zachary Lisacher. Matas Bouzelis. Alexandre Saar.
But only one can come out on top. I'm starting to wonder if we're all overthinking this.
The last name on my list, Searle, is the only guy who stayed near the top three area all season. That means there's a consensus that he can't be dropped like the other players listed.
Williams has his name mentioned from the top three to the late lottery. Lizacher, who was in the doldrums as a teenager, has been cited as the number one candidate. It's a similar story for Buzelis.
Sir is one guy that we all trust enough to reach a certain level of expectation. He was never considered a high draft pick, and for good reason.
At 7-foot-1 with great athleticism and ability to space the floor, he offers a skillset tailored to the 2024 NBA.
During his season in Australia playing for the Perth Wildcats, Sarr's per-36 minute stats were impressive.
He averaged 19.2 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.1 blocks, and 2.1 assists per game.
Admittedly, the Per 36 number is especially noisy when used on a player who played 18.0 minutes per game. But it would give some idea of how productive Sir was when he was on the floor.
Add to that the fact that he started the season just a few months after turning 18, and you can see the potential he has.
This isn't to say he's going to break into the NBA as an instant star or anything like that. There's a good chance he's a project, but at least he's a project with great upside.
There seem to be big question marks hanging over every prospect in the draft, but there's nothing noteworthy about Sarr.
Do you want to complain about his 27.6% accuracy from long range? Sure, but how many big men of his size were reliable long-range shooters at his age? Is that really a valid point of criticism?
What else do you really want to point out from that?
He hardly committed any fouls. He made over 70% of his free throws. He hardly turned the ball over. He competed hard.
Okay, his defense outside of the block needs a little more work. He's not even 19 yet. I also don't think defensive rotation patterns and how to read angles are elements that other students in the class can master.
Of course, Sir is no Anthony Davis here. If he were, we wouldn't have talked about anyone but him for the last nine months. Like everyone else in this class, there are uncertainties.
However, I would argue that those uncertainties are small, close to marginal, given upside and current production.
And finally, the only hurdle Sarr needs to clear to be No. 1 here is a future draft candidate. We can sit here and talk about how he's not Davis or Karl-Anthony Towns or Victor Wembaneyama, but he's just the best in his class. If you think about it, that's not a problem.
And it's certainly achievable, if not entirely achievable.
I've had a hard time with big boards this year (who hasn't?), but Sir is still at the top. And, to be honest with myself, even as I flirted with the idea of Lizacher, I couldn't get Searle out of my mind.
His combination of skill, athleticism, size, and fluidity of play is overwhelming in my thought process.
That doesn't mean he'll reach his potential or that all of those skills will be optimized, but you could say that about every prospect in draft history. It's always a risk.
I'm betting on the upside. Because if I own the No. 1 overall pick, I can't justify thinking in terms of what's safe. I want to swing the bat as hard as I can and aim to become the best player in my class in the future. And the player with the best recipe for achieving that is, and still is, Alexandre Sarr.
Unless otherwise noted, all statistics are NBA.com, PBP statistics, cleaning the glass or Basketball – Reference. All salary information can be found at spot rack.all Courtesy of Odds FanDuel Sportsbook.
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