Alex Sarr figures to be No. 1 on some teams’ boards behind the idea that his defense is a lock and his open-floor ball-handling and shotmaking development will continue. Theoretically, no other top prospect has the potential to impact games at both ends like Sarr, a 7’1″ shot-blocker who can slide with guards, hit threes, knock down pull-ups and fallaways, attack closeouts and occasionally initiate fast breaks.

He finished the year with 16 made threes, 14 dribble jumpers and an impressive 8-of-14 mark on runners/floaters, unique numbers for an 19-year-old his size. The fluidity at which he can put the ball down and separate into a balanced, makable shot is where the offensive upside really shines.

Still, he remains raw offensively, showing some lack of polish converting off his creation. Despite athleticism and length for finishing, he doesn’t have strong hands and struggled at times converting rolls to the basket and layups in traffic.

Defensively, he popped the most on switches, moving in space. He’ll always remain a threat in rim protection, but at his size, his lateral mobility is what separates him.

An 18.3 defensive rebounding percentage is underwhelming for a player his size, though it also came against NBL pros as an 18-year-old.

It still feels like the worst-case outcome for Sarr can still be valuable for a team that would get a super versatile defender and lob-catcher who’d be able to hit the occasional three. Best-case, he replicates Jonathan Isaac defensively while collecting easy baskets, regularly spacing the floor, capitalizing on drives and flashing to the middle for catch-and-shoot makes.