Victor Wembanyama impressed one and all during his rookie season, but fellow Frenchman Alex Sarr doesn’t believe he is a better player than Bam Adebayo just yet. Sarr recently sat down for an interview with Bleacher Report, where he was asked to speak if he heard the name of a player better than Wembanyama.
Sarr didn’t speak when he heard the names of Rudy Gobert, Draymond Green, or Chet Holmgren, but did when Adebayo was mentioned. While that might sound controversial at first, I don’t think it is an outrageous opinion.
Adebayo averaged 19.3 points, 10.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game in the 2023-24 campaign for the Miami Heat, and shot 52.1% from the field. He made the NBA All-Defensive First Team as well and just had a fine campaign in all.
As for Wembanyama, he averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.2 steals, and 3.6 blocks per game for the San Antonio Spurs, and shot 46.5% from the field. The 20-year-old was on the NBA All-Defensive First Team with Adebayo and finished runner-up for DPOY.
I think at this point, arguments can be made in favor of both Wembanyama and Adebayo, but that won’t be the case for much longer. I am fairly certain that by this time next year, the Frenchman will widely be regarded as the better player of the two.
Paul George stated that the end of Wembanyama’s rookie season was a scary sight for him and I fully expect the youngster to take a big step in 2024-25. There is a good chance he wins DPOY and those scoring numbers should only go up as well. I don’t think it’s outlandish to predict that Wembanyama will be considered a top 10-15 player in the NBA by the end of next season.
Alex Sarr Reveals His Mt. Rushmore Of French NBA Players
During this interview with Bleacher Report, Sarr was also asked to share his Mount Rushmore of French NBA players.
“Tony Parker, Rudy (Gobert), (Nicolas) Batum, Boris Diaw, my brother (Olivier Sarr),” Sarr said. “… Kinda legends in French basketball because they’re toward the end of their career. I mean, some of them are already retired.”
Wembanyama will eventually go down as the greatest French player in NBA history, but for now, that title belongs to Tony Parker. Parker won four titles and a Finals MVP in his career and was a six-time All-Star.
Gobert, meanwhile, is a three-time All-Star who has won DPOY four times and he is another obvious selection. As for Diaw, he is a solid pick as well, having won a championship in 2014 and MIP in 2006. Batum hasn’t won a title or an individual award like the other three, but I would put him on that French Mount Rushmore too.
While the monument only has four spots, Sarr had his brother Olivier as a fifth pick. There was clearly bias involved there, as the 25-year-old currently plays for the Oklahoma City Blue in the G League. I wouldn’t be too hard on him for that, though.
One day, Sarr himself might be on that Mount Rushmore, and whichever team selects him in the 2024 NBA Draft would certainly be hoping that’s the case. He impressed with the Perth Wildcats in the NBL last season and is expected to be selected with one of the top three picks in the upcoming draft.
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