WASHINGTON — Nearly four months removed from surgery to repair his fractured right foot, Alex Sarr said he was a full participant at Monday’s practice.
Sarr had been a partial participant through the first five days of training camp but has now progressed to 5-on-5 work and live drills.
“I was a full go today, [did] most of the drills at the position. Felt good,” Sarr said. “It’s been a long process … After being on the sidelines for months, you’re just excited to get back out there and compete with the guys.”
Brian Keefe later added that Sarr is still “in the ramp-up phase” of his recovery, so it appears the young center has a few more checkpoints before his full return.
Washington’s No. 2 pick in the 2024 draft endured a rough start to his career. His 0-15 shooting performance in his Summer League debut made headlines, as did his sub-40% shooting season as a rookie.
He shed those struggles during a breakout sophomore campaign that included meaningful improvements in his shot diet, shooting efficiency and defensive production.
The Wizards’ defense ranked 28th and 30th, respectively, during Sarr’s first two seasons, which was no fault of his own. Sarr’s 2.0 blocks per game trailed only Victor Wembanyama last season. His 9.7 rim attempts defended per game ranked first. And amid that volume of contests, he held opponents to an -8.8 FG% vs. expected, according to Basketball University.
Sarr needed help. So Will Dawkins traded for Anthony Davis, a five-time All-Defense selection who’s known as one of the league’s best shotblockers.
After two seasons of Sarr’s defense or nothing around the basket, Washington has built one of the league’s most formidable rim-protecting duos. And Sarr couldn’t be happier.
“I’m very excited. Once you get past me, you’ve got AD on the back, and the other way around, it’s the same,” Sarr said. “AD will allow me to be more aggressive in pursuing blocks, knowing I have someone to rebound the ball or box out the big behind me.”
Keefe talks Thursday’s preseason opener
As expected, Keefe didn’t budge when I asked him whether Sarr would play in Thursday’s preseason opener against the New York Knicks.
He did, however, confirm that Tristan Vukcevic (hip) and Jamir Watkins (ACL) wouldn’t play, which were not surprising developments. And he praised Sarr’s recovery as the 7-footer eyes an opening-night return.
“It was good to see [Alex] out there,” Keefe said. “He’s been diligent about his work this offseason with his rehab. And we were happy to see him out there.”
Watkins, who underwent surgery to repair a torn ACL in July, shot free throws and joked around with his teammates during the media-viewing portion of Monday’s practice. The stout defender is unlikely to play this season, but it was an encouraging sign to see him participating in some fashion at practice this early in his rehab process.
Preseason serves as an early evaluator for coach’s to understand what works, and what doesn’t, before meaningful games begin. Keefe said preseason evaluation is focused on the team, not individual player performances, as Thursday’s opener nears.
“It’s about the team first, trying to evaluate if we’re following the principles and the things we worked on during camp,” Keefe said. “We don’t expect to be perfect, but we want to make strides each day. There’s always great lessons to learn from a game.”
Mann talks buying into his role
Tre Mann joined the Wizards in August following a trade that reunited him with Will Dawkins, who worked in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s front office when they selected Mann with the No. 18 pick in the 2021 draft.
Mann has learned a lot through his first five NBA seasons. Namely, how to buy into his role — how to be more than just a scorer.
“My whole life, I’ve been a scorer,” Mann said. “And I feel like, in OKC and Charlotte, when I wasn’t scoring, my mindset wasn’t to flip it on to defense or switch it to something else. It’s been, ‘How can I start scoring better.’ Now, I’ve realized that I’m more of a complete basketball player. If I’m not scoring, I’m gonna get guys involved, I can defend.”
So, after discovering there’s more to earning rotational minutes than pure scoring, what does Mann see as his role in a crowded Washington backcourt? The answer is simple: Whatever Keefe needs him to do.
“Whatever they need. Just a leader, a veteran presence,” Mann said. “Whether I’m playing or not, just being in guys ears, trying to help us win. If they want me to distribute, if they want me to score [or defend] — just whatever they ask me to do.”
Bonus Notes
Sarr participated in practice during the media-viewing portion for the first time during Wizards training camp:
AJ Dybantsa and Bub Carrington got shots up during Monday’s practice.
