Washington Wizards rookie center Alex Sarr played at a very high level in France before making his way to the NBA.

However, the two leagues are very different and an adjustment period needs to be had for Sarr.

“The level of the players, the pace and I feel like every player can keep the defense honest. You can’t hide on defense so I feel like that’s the biggest difference,” Sarr said about things that are different in the NBA compared to France.

Sarr prides himself in being a defensive specialist, and that is why the Wizards took him with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. He is still managing to find ways to have an impact on that end of the floor, but it’s been hard for the French big man. The Wizards have lost 13 consecutive games with Sarr leading the way as the starting center in each of those losses.

Though the losing can be a challenge, Sarr is more focused on his individual game and development as opposed to wins and losses for his rookie year.

“I mean I’m trying to get better at everything,” Sarr said. “Defensively I think I can still be a better defender on the ball, a better shot blocker. So I couldn’t really pick just one thing.”

Sarr has plenty of work to do, and so do the rest of the Wizards if they wish to escape this 13-game losing streak that they find themselves in the middle of.

Sarr and the young Wizards will look to win their first game in November as they take on Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard and the Milwaukee Bucks. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET inside Fiserv Forum on Saturday evening.

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