Potential No. 1 pick Alex Sarr declares for draft

Potential No. 1 overall pick Alex Sarr declared for the NBA draft, he told ESPN's Malika Andrews on Friday's edition of "NBA Today."

Sarr spent the past year playing for the Perth Wildcats in Australia's NBL via the "Next Stars" program. The 7-foot-1 big man averaged 9.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks in 17 minutes per game.

"I had a great year playing professional basketball in the NBL," Sarr told Andrews. "There was a lot of growth in my game and as a person. I'm ready for the next step so it was obvious for me to declare for the draft. I'm grateful for the year I spent in the NBL with the Perth Wildcats."

Sarr moved from his native France to the United States in 2021 to play for Overtime Elite. He spent two campaigns in the program before heading Down Under.

Sarr also represented France at the FIBA U17 World Cup and FIBA U19 World Cup, helping his nation win a pair of medals on the international stage.

Sarr has the makings of a modern NBA big man. The 18-year-old is a difference-maker on the defensive end with his rim protection and ability to switch out onto the perimeter.

However, Sarr made just 29.8% of his threes last season and shot 71.4% from the charity stripe.

"It's an exciting time for me to get to know more of NBA basketball," Sarr said. "I already watch a lot of games. Guys like (Nikola) Jokic, Giannis (Antetokounmpo), Kevin Durant, but really all over I watch the entire NBA to understand the game better.

"From what I see, I can fit in pretty easily. There's a lot of switching on defense. You need to be able to guard everywhere on the floor. Big guys need to be playmakers, make the right pass out of short rolls, and also create for themselves. That's something I can do. This summer, when I really get time to work on my 3-point shot, I'll take that to another level, too."