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

Washington Wizards rookie Alex Sarr 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 three-time MVP Nikola Jokic on Saturday night.

Sarr admitted that Washington must be ‘locked in,‘ as the Serbian international is known to wreck games.

“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.”

The French international admitted that he could learn plenty from “The Joker,” but he’s not in a studious mood.

“Probably a lot of stuff, but I’m going into the matchup competing,” Sarr continued.

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.

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.

“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.”

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.

Alex Sarr has unusual amount of responsibility on Wizards

Sarr, who was brought in for his defense and rebounding prowess, is performing up to Washington head coach Brian Keefe’s standard.

“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.”

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.

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.

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.