Potential top five NBA draft pick primed for blockbuster battle against the Sydney Kings’ Next Gen stars

All roads lead to Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena on Sunday as one of the hottest young prospects hits town. How does Alex Sarr compare to the best young stars to come through the NBL?

Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena has played host to basketball’s biggest stars – and the tradition will continue on Sunday when a French NBA draft prospect hailed as “box office” comes to town to take on the Kings.

From Team USA greats like Jason Kidd and Gary Payton to rising NBA guns and former NBL Next Stars LaMelo Ball and Josh Giddey, the Harbour City’s main hoops venue has a long list of distinguished guests.

A new player will be added to the list on Sunday when the Kings host Perth and the Wildcats’ 18-year-old Next Star, Alex Sarr.

The proud Frenchman has his sights set on being a top five pick in next year’s NBA draft.

Alex Sarr has a massive future in world basketball.

And according to the NBL’s GOAT- two-time champion and seven-time MVP Andrew Gaze - Sarr is destined to etch his name alongside the likes of Ball and Giddey as a legitimate star in the world’s best league.

“I think Alex Sarr from what I’ve seen of him so far, he has the potential to be an NBA superstar,” Gaze declared about the French sensation, who was recently listed at No.2 in the Bleacher Report’s most recent mock for the 2024 NBA draft.

“We need to be going and seeing him play because in time I think people will be talking about the time they saw him play in the NBL and you saw him live.

“Because he is box office.

“You saw that in Josh Giddey and LaMelo Ball and Sarr is in that category – he is that good and has the skillsets that are going to be highly sought after by NBA teams.

“In four or five years’ time, he’ll be the type of player that people will say: ‘remember when I saw Sarr play at Qudos Bank Arena.”

Josh Giddey played in the NBL before being drafted to the NBA. Picture: Getty Images

LAMELO COMPARISONS:

NBL and Boomers legend Damian Martin says he wasn’t lucky enough to play against Giddey during his one-year stint at Adelaide as a Next Star in 2020-21.

Martin, though, had the chance to take on Ball when he was a Next Star with the Illawarra Hawks in the 2019/20 NBL season before he made the leap to the NBA and became the All-Star caliber guard we see today.

“There was just this X-factor about LaMelo when he played in Australia,” Martin said.

“He didn’t necessarily have great games, but the poise he played under, he was never frustrated or pressured and he made great decisions.

“Even though he may not have shot the ball as well as what we are seeing now (with Charlotte), I could just tell that he had something.

“It’s that X-factor that’s the difference between being a very good NBL player or being an NBA caliber basketballer.”

LaMelo Ball had a huge impact during his short time in the NBL. Picture: Getty Images

Three years on, Martin is now retired but he can see parallels between Ball and Perth’s latest Next Star sensation in Sarr.

The Wildcats centre is averaging 12 points on an impressive 71 per cent shooting from the field so far this season.

Sarr has also showcased poise under pressure, like when he nailed consecutive threes down the stretch to get the Wildcats home over Adelaide.

Martin was watching on from the sideline at RAC Arena and says the Frenchman’s calmness in the big moment reminded him of Ball during his time in the NBL.

“Alex also has that LaMelo X-factor in spades,” he said.

“I sat courtside and I watched Sarr, and he has just got everything that NBA scouts and GMs look for in a player.

“And he is probably more advanced with his shot than what I was expecting.

“Then his read and timing on the defensive end, you can’t teach that and it’s just something that he has naturally.

“But to be able to step up and hit back-to-back threes when the game is on the line as a rookie in a new league, it shows who he is as a person as well.”

Sydney Kings’ Australian Next Star Alex Toohey is destined to have a big future. Photo: Matt King/Getty Images.

MVP HAILS KINGS’ NEXT GEN:

Perth’s rivals on Sunday, back-to-back NBL champions the Sydney Kings – are equally loaded with potential NBA players.

Kings guard Jaylen Adams, who has played 44 games for Milwaukee, Atlanta and Portland, is going out of his way to play a mentoring role with the club’s next generation.

Adams believes Sydney’s Australian Next Star Alex Toohey “ticks the boxes” as a potential NBA player while he is also high on forward Jaylin Galloway.

“For sure – I think Jaylin has developed so much confidence since the last time I was at the club,” Adams said.

“He is athletically gifted – and he might be the best athlete this league has – just in terms of a pure athlete.

“He is still so young, so it’s about development and the sky’s the limit for him, but I could definitely see an NBA team taking a chance on him.”