NBL proves caliber after Alex Sarr goes No. 2 in NBA Draft
NEW YORK – Perth Wildcats 7-foot center Alex Sarr made history Wednesday night (Thursday Manila time) when he became the highest NBL player to be selected in the NBA Draft.
The French-born Sarr, 19, was selected second overall behind his countryman Zaccharie Risacher, who went No. 1 to the Atlanta Hawks.
Sarr was projected to go No. 1 until he declined the Hawks’ invitation for an individual workout. Sarr’s agent Bill Duffy was focused on getting his client to the rebuilding Wizards, where there is a clearer path for him to start from Day One.
“I'm just excited to join this team,” Sarr said. “It's a team that I watched a lot this past year. I think I can be really impactful on that team, and I can't wait to add my game to the roster.”
The Wizards shipped their longtime starting center Daniel Gafford to the Mavericks at the trade deadline. Gafford instantly went from the basement of the standings to playing in the NBA Finals.
The starting center spot is for Sarr to lose.
Sarr is embracing the challenge with a firm belief that getting drafted is not the culmination of his basketball journey that brought him to the US to play for the Overtime Elite and then Australia in the NBL’s Next Stars program but it’s just the beginning.
“I think it's just a first step, but it's definitely achieving something that was big for me. You know, being drafted, I don't take it for granted and I'm sure enjoying it a lot,” Sarr said.
Sarr played a key role in the Wildcats’ NBL playoff run, averaging 9.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 27 games.
The NBL’s Next Stars program has become the best pathway to the NBA outside the US and Europe. They have now produced a dozen NBA picks since 2020:
2020 – LaMelo Ball (No. 3) and R.J. Hampton (No. 24)
2021 – Josh Giddey (No. 6)
2022 – Ousmane Dieng (No. 11), Luke Travers (No. 56) and Hugo Besson (No. 58)
2023 – Rayan Rupert (No. 43) and Mojave King (No. 47)
2024 – Alex Sarr (No. 2), AJ Johnson (No. 23), Johnny Furphy (No. 35) and Bobi Klintman (No. 37)
Kai Sotto, the Philippines’ top prospect, also tried the NBL route but failed to land consistent minutes. He went undrafted in 2022.
It was not the case for the California-born Johnson, a former four-star recruit, who was selected in the first round despite struggling to find a consistent role in the NBL.
The 19-year-old Johnson de-committed from the University of Texas to play in the NBL. He ran into a wall though, failing to earn a meaningful role. He averaged just 2.9 points and 1.3 rebounds across 7.7 minutes in 26 games for the Illawarra Hawks, where Ball also played.
Still, he was proud of his decision to play in the pros rather than go to college.
“A hundred percent, I'm super proud of myself just sticking through that Australian season,” Johnson said, “knowing things were not going my way but continuing to believe in myself every single day, and keep taking steps and getting better and looking at the bigger picture of my career. I feel like it's a great experience of being out there.”
The 6-foot-5 guard impressed the Bucks enough during his workout.
“I feel like Milwaukee was one of the best workouts I had,” Johnson said. “Even in the interviews at the combine and stuff like that, the interviews went really well. They just seemed like they had my best interests and they really liked me. So yeah, I kind of felt a little bit like Milwaukee would be the team that would want me.”
Johnson, who was not invited to the Green Room, attended with his family and sat in the lower bowl section of Barclays Center. His gamble paid off when he turned out to be one of the biggest surprised picks of the night.
“I feel like there's no feeling like it. Just having all the people who have been a part of your journey since the beginning and seeing you grow,” Johnson said. “I feel like there's nothing like having them here with me and experiencing this with me and supporting me. There's no feeling like it, honestly.”
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Alder Almo is a former senior sportswriter for Philstar.com and NBA.com Philippines. He is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey, and writes for the New York-based website Heavy.com.
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