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Josh Robbins: The playing statuses of Alex Sarr and Tristan Vukčević have been downgraded to OUT for this afternoon's game in Miami. But Justin Champagnie, Bilal Coulibaly and Tre Johnson have been upgraded to AVAILABLE. Today's game is the first game of a back-to-back for the Wizards.
Josh Robbins: The playing statuses of Bilal Coulibaly and Leaky Black for today's game have been upgraded to available. Anthony Davis, Kyshawn George, Tre Johnson, Alex Sarr, Cam Whitmore, Trae Young and D'Angelo Russell remain out.
Greg Finberg: Alex Sarr (big toe capsulitis) and Tre Johnson (foot soreness) are OUT tonight vs. New York. Also out for Washington: Young, Davis, George, Black, Whitmore and Russell.
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Greg Finberg: Alex Sarr (left big toe capsulitis) is available for tonight’s game vs. Detroit. Bilal Coulibaly (right retrocalcaneal bursitis) is out.
Josh Robbins: The Wizards have listed Alex Sarr as out for what they've labelled as right hamstring injury management on Monday against the Warriors on the first night of a back-to-back. Also out: Anthony Davis, Kyshawn George, D'Angelo Russell, Cam Whitmore and Leaky Black.
Among the things to be happy about was how Young and center Alex Sarr ran the pick-and-roll and connected on a pair of lobs from Young that ended with Sarr baskets. In just his third game with the Wizards, on a minutes restriction of approximately 21 minutes, Young finished with 15 points and six assists. Sarr had 16 points and five blocks, also with a minutes restriction. “I’m definitely getting used to playing with him, seeing pick-and-roll angles,” Sarr said. “We’re just working, getting extra reps right now. That’s very valuable.” Still, the stretch run late in the fourth quarter is what made Washington’s players optimistic, providing a Band-Aid to what happened in Miami. “People can laugh about us now,” Young said. “In the future, I don’t think people are going to be laughing about us.”
Josh Robbins: Alex Sarr is expected to play 16 to 20 minutes tonight, Wizards coach Brian Keefe said a short while ago. Sarr is set to play for the first time since Feb. 8, so he is on a minutes restriction.
Washington funnels drivers to him. No one contests more shots at the rim than Alex Sarr does, 8.8 per game, two more than anyone else in the league. The guys atop the NBA in that stat tend to play plenty of drop coverage. They sag into the paint and wait for drivers to approach. Yet Sarr doesn’t fit that description. On top of scrambling every which way, trying to make up for porous perimeter defenders, which juices the numbers, Sarr is creating contests out of nowhere. He’s an aggressive helper. He’s blocking more shots than ever. He’s allowing only 55 percent shooting on dunks and layups when he is the closest defender, a massive leap from his rookie season, according to Second Spectrum.
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Josh Robbins: Speaking here in Atlanta before tonight's game, Wizards coach Brian Keefe said the hope is that Trae Young will participate in "more team activities" on the court after the team returns to Washington. Keefe said that Alex Sarr is "a little further behind" than Young in rejoining team activities.
In his recent appearance on Monumental Sports Network, new Washington Wizards star Anthony Davis offered high hopes and optimism about his looming frontcourt partnership with Alex Sarr. "I feel like I've always been very successful with another big. The good thing about Alex is that he can space the floor, and on the defensive end it's going to be insane," Davis said about Sarr. "Being able to guard the pick and rolls, switch on guards and guard them, rim protection — I think he's second in the league in blocks right now, blocks per game. He's young, so he's only going to get better. "I just hope that the wisdom that I've learned from the greats I've been around — Dwight [Howard], JaVale McGee, Tyson Chandler, Marc Gasol — all the guys that helped me can carry over to help them as well."
Josh Robbins: The Wizards' decision to sign Tristan Vukcevic to a three-year deal creates big-man depth behind Alex Sarr and Anthony Davis for 2026-27. But even with the Vukcevic move, the Wizards could add another big during the offseason to serve as the primary big-man backup.
Have you gotten the chance to talk to Anthony Davis since the trade? Alex Sarr: No, not yet. I know he’s been in DC, but we were out of town, but I know I’ll connect with him right after the All-Star break. I was talking to your GM, Will Dawkins, earlier about how you and AD have similar prototypes: tall, lanky, can shoot. What do you feel like in terms of him being there, playing alongside you? Alex Sarr: Yeah, I mean, it's great. You know, I think it's a lot of stuff I can learn from him defensively, offensively. I think we can play off of each other. He attracts a lot of attention. So, you know, he's going to allow me to play off the ball, and on the ball too sometimes. So, you know, I'm just excited.
