Despite experiencing persistent losing, the Washington Wizards marvel at Alex Sarr’s steady growth as a two-way player. After Sarr received a rare ejection for collecting two technicals in a recent loss to the LA Clippers, the Wizards expressed appreciation that Sarr shows that he still cares during a challenging season.

What to make of such developments? Well, the Wizards (10-29) enter Friday’s game against the Sacramento Kings (11-30) with the Eastern Conference’s second-worst record. But they are encouraged about their long-term future for reasons beyond acquiring an All-Star caliber point guard (Trae Young) and possibly securing a lottery pick in this year’s NBA Draft.

Sarr, whom the Wizards selected with the No. 2 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, has shown better production in his second season than in his rookie year in nearly every statistical category. That includes points per game (16.9, 13.0), shooting percentage (49.8%, 39.4%), 3-point shooting (34.5%, 30.8%), rebounds per game (5.4, 4.6), and blocks per game (2.3, 1.5).

“I wasn’t worried at all because I saw him from the jump,” Wizards forward Kyshawn George said of Sarr. “He’s a No. 2 pick for a reason. His shot-blocking ability, even his touch around the rim is amazing. I knew it was coming. He just got the reps in this summer and now he has a whole ton of confidence. I’m just excited to see what’s in store.”

What’s in store could entail Sarr at least receiving consideration for the 2026 NBA All-Star game (Feb. 15 at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif.).

Sarr hasn’t cracked the top 20 in second vote returns based on votes among fans (50%), players (25%) and select media members (25%). NBA coaches typically choose reserves partly based on the team’s win-loss record. Still, the Wizards believe Sarr at least has a case.

Sarr and his compatriot, San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, represent the lone NBA players this season to average at least 17 points, seven rebounds and two blocks per game. Sarr ranks second in his class in points (16.9), fourth in rebounds (7.6) and first in blocks (2.3) per game while also shooting 49.8% from the field and 34.% from 3-point range. And Sarr has already produced 20-point games in 10 contests, a total that took his entire rookie season to accomplish.

“He’s doing some really unique things,” Wizards coach Brian Keefe said of Sarr. “A, he’s leading the league in shot blocking. That’s pretty unique for a guy who’s 20 years old. Then his impact on overall defense, just with protecting the rim, I think he’s one of the top-five guys in the league with rim protection itself. And then his ability to play offensively. We play our offense through him in making reads on the short roll and playing through him at the high post, his ability to finish at the rim and generate free throws. And then the 3-point shooting. Those are the unique things that I believe put him in that category. And he’s just scratching the surface. That’s the part that’s exciting.”

With Sarr just scratching the surface, what’s next?

“He just has a multifaceted game,” Keefe said. “This is what’s really exciting about it. He’s a versatile player. He can defend one through five. He can switch. He can handle the ball. We see him bring the ball up in transition and pushing it after rebounds and after shot blocks. This is a unique skillset for a guy who is 20 years old. We’re not going to put a ceiling on him. We’re going to help support him and continue to grow.”

The Wizards provided their support for Sarr following his ejection against the Clippers with 1:45 left in the first half.

Keefe called it “absolutely ridiculous” and “inexcusable” for officials to give Sarr a technical for slamming the ball to himself out of frustration after getting called for a foul. Sarr was not demonstrative toward the officials, and Keefe observed that he’s “seen much worse” as a longtime NBA assistant coach before becoming the Wizards’ head coach last season. Keefe considered Sarr’s second technical “automatic” for his immediate frustration over his first technical. But Keefe, George and center Marvin Bagley III noted that the episode demonstrated his competitiveness and investment.

“Alex feels responsible. He’s not going to feel great about that,” Keefe said. “He cares deeply about his teammates. He knows right away that put us in jeopardy. He’ll learn and grow from it and won’t do it again. You can always learn something from every game.”

EssentiallySports spoke with Sarr before Thursday’s game against the Clippers about various topics. Although Sarr did not comment afterwards about his ejection, the 20-year-old talked beforehand about Young’s arrival, his outlook on becoming an All-Star and his overall development.

Editor’s note: The following one-on-one conversation has been edited and posted.

What’s this past week been like with finding out about the trade and then since then?

Sarr: “I would say it’s about getting used to seeing a new face in the building and losing some of my old teammates. It’s always tough losing some, but it’s always exciting adding some new talent, too.”

Trae hasn’t been playing. But what’s it been like to link up with Trae so far?

Sarr: “It’s nice to be around him and get to know him a little bit. Obviously, I’m just hoping that it’s going to be a great connection. It definitely will be. The more reps we can get with him, the more time we can get with him, the better we’re going to be.”

What do you think he can do, not just for the group, but for you specifically?

Sarr: “Obviously, he has a lot of attraction. People respect him. So they’re going to have to guard the pick-and-roll differently. His gravity is probably going to open up a lot of looks for me.”

What do you think you can do for Trae’s game?

Sarr: “I would say being able to space the floor. They’re not going to be able to put two defenders on the ball too much on him. So that will also allow him to get his game off and do what he can do.”

Given his history with Washington, John Wall said that it would be a good idea for you to ask Trae questions about pick-and-roll coverages and other Xs and Os. What conversations have you been able to have so far?

Sarr: “Yeah, most definitely. That’s going to be very important. But we really haven’t had those talks yet. But that’s definitely something that we’re going to be doing. We’ll be talking about the team we’re playing, what’s their coverage and how we want to attack it. That’s definitely something that we’re going to do come game time.”

Whenever he comes back, what do you think you all can do this season to try to build off of chemistry for next season?

Sarr: “I feel like it’s about getting reps in and getting better. We’re trying to mesh. It’s tough doing that mid-season. But I feel like we have guys that can adapt pretty quickly. So I feel like it’s going to work pretty well.”

What was it like to go against Trae as an opponent? 

Sarr: “It was a tough cover. You have to change your defensive rules a little bit. He had his own rules because he can shoot from so far. It’s stuff like that. Mostly, Bilal [Coulibaly] would be guarding him. But he would have to pick him up at halfcourt pretty much and follow him around everywhere.”

You mentioned the bittersweet part of the trade, which meant losing CJ [McCollum]. What did he mean to you during his time with you all this past season?

Sarr: “It was just great with learning. He’s a guy that leads by example. You can see his professionalism. You can see how hard he works and how well he takes care of his body. He’s inspiring, honestly. To do what he’s doing at his age, it makes you want to do the right thing.”

What are the most notable examples of his professionalism?

Sarr: “Just him coming in and being about the work every day. He would show up the same every day. He would get in shooting. He would get treatment. He would take care of his body. He was always a professional.”

How do you evaluate your play and the team’s play so far?

Sarr: “I think we’re improving as a team. As a team, we’ve been playing better as of late. Our defense has been way better. We’re just trying to figure it out, see what’s working for us and build the right habits for where we want to be.”

What were the turning points that led to better play following the team’s 14-game losing streak at the beginning of the season?

Sarr: “There weren’t really turning points yet. Our record is still not great. But when we won four games in five, that was pretty good for us. It was pretty motivating for the rest of the season.”

As for your second season, what has contributed to your growth?

Sarr: “I’m getting more comfortable on the court. I know what I can be very efficient at, and I know what I have to work on. I’m trying to pick my spots on the court.”

You and Wemby are the only players this season to average at least 17 points, seven rebounds and two blocks a game. What has gone into being able to have those numbers?

Sarr: “I feel like that’s pretty good. Obviously, he is a very versatile defender, too. I feel like it’s pretty good to be able to impact the basketball on both ends. It’s about having the energy level. Especially for blocks, it’s about timing. I’m trying to be aggressive with that. Offensively, I’m mixing with playing inside-out and going with what the defense gives me.”

The record is what it is, but what do you think your All-Star case is?

Sarr: “Honestly, I feel like that takes care of itself when you start winning. I feel like it’s one of those things where, obviously, I would love to make an All-Star game as soon as I can. But that’s kind of out of my control. I just try to work in order for us to win games. I try to get better that way. But it’ll come when it comes.”

For media voters, fans and coaches, what do you think you’ve shown that warrants that consideration? 

Sarr: “I’m having a two-way impact. Defensively and offensively, I think that is something that is overlooked nowadays. It’s not just about playing offensively. I feel like when you do it at a high level on both sides of the ball, it’s pretty hard to do.”

What does it mean to you that Rudy Gobert projected you can be ‘a great player?’

Sarr: “It’s always nice to hear that coming from your peers, especially from someone that has been doing it for a very long time. A lot of players have been coming and going. But he himself is a very, very good player. And he’s French, too. So that’s great to hear.” (smiles).

Speaking of which, we all knew Wemby would be a special player. But what do you think has gone into the huge leaps he’s made this season?

Sarr: “It’s impressive. He came into the league ready. But he’s come into the league ready and he has kept improving in his second and now third year. He’s playing at a very high level.”

With the All-Star game, what do you think of the new format with having Americans play the international players?

Sarr: “I think it’s exciting. Especially for us, we’ve been trying to go at the Americans for a long time. That’s especially during the Olympics. So maybe it’ll bring some fire to the games. Or maybe it won’t. I don’t really know. But it’s smart to try.”

On the big picture with the Wizards, you have a young core and now Trae. What’s your outlook on what this means for the future?

Sarr: “I think things are going to start clicking quicker a lot faster, probably. I feel like we have a really good group of guys that are motivated and that are about the right things. They put in the work. So I’m excited to see what it looks like next season.”

Mark Medina is an NBA insider for EssentiallySports. Follow him on X, Blue Sky, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.