2024 NBA Mock Draft: Blazers Take Top French Big Man Alex Sarr

The Portland Trail Blazers are expected by many to be picking towards the top of the 2024 NBA Draft.

After trading Damian Lillard, the team is ready to rebuild and there’s hope that some top prospects are coming along the way.

In Bleacher Report’s latest mock draft, the Blazers are slated to pick French big man Alex Sarr with the No. 2 pick. Sarr, 18, is playing for the Perth Wildcats in the NBL this season.

Alex Sarr’s scoring has come and gone early in the season, but he’ll receive a pass for a raw offensive game. An outstanding defensive outlook is too much of a sure thing based on his 7’1” size, movement away from the hoop and athleticism around the basket for rim protection.

Sarr makes excellent vertical contests and has mostly avoided foul trouble in the NBL. But it’s the flashes of shot-making (13 threes in 12 games), touch shots in the paint and occasional ball-handling that have created new possibilities for Sarr’s offensive trajectory.

He isn’t polished enough to deliver consistent execution or scoring production throughout the year. But for an 18-year-old in the NBL whose defense and finishing are highly translatable, sporadic glimpses of shooting, post play and driving should be enough to sell/entice scouts early in the 2024 draft.

While Sarr’s ceiling isn’t as high as the top French big man from this year’s draft, his potential should certainly excite the Blazers. Like many top prospects from the 2024 class, he is extremely raw and will need some development before he can be considered a top contributor for a good Blazers team.

Here’s a look at some of Sarr’s highlights:

You can read the rest of Bleacher Report’s mock draft here.