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Alexandre Sarr believes he possesses all the tools to become a genuine three-point threat in the NBA.

17 May
Dan Woods for NBL.com.au

Projected number one draft pick Alexandre Sarr believes he has the potential to add a lethal three-point shot to his repertoire, following on from his campaign with the Perth Wildcats as an NBL Next Star.

Sarr shot just below 30 per cent from three across 27 appearances for the Wildcats last season, but showcased his ability to make clutch shots from range as far back as the second round of the season.

When Perth hosted the 36ers in a tight contest, Sarr nailed a pair of threes to secure victory for his side.

He says the ability to improve his three-point shot is a crucial part of how he sees his game evolving in the future.

I don’t see that skill as additive to what I can become,” Sarr said on The Ringer’s NBA Draft Show. “It’s something I do a lot of reps on right now, this morning, the past week, the week before that.

“That’s something I want to be able to do from day one, because I think it can really make me a threat from everywhere on the court and I think I can be that next year.

“I envision it in my mind, so I don’t see it as that big of a change. I feel like I got respected as a shooter in the NBL, players weren’t sagging off that much – maybe they weren’t trying to block every shot I took from three, but it will definitely make the game easier.

“With my current skillset I see myself being able to be in the 40 per cent range from three.”

Although Sarr is ranked as the likely number one prospect in the upcoming draft, he spent the NBL24 season playing behind two-time NBL Most Improved Player Keanu Pinder in the Wildcats’ rotation and did not register a start for the entire campaign.

He averaged 17.3 minutes per game across the season, and while he says it was sometimes frustrating to have a smaller role than he had experienced at Overtime Elite the season prior, he couldn't be more pleased with experience in the NBL.

“It was my first pro year in a professional league, and I had good teammates and good coaches around me that were really explaining to me what was happening in the game and how I could get more minutes,” he said.

“You have to adapt to that, there are a couple of games where you might get frustrated but, for me, I was just trying to think about the next game and see how I could impact the team in a winning way.

“Our playoff run was pretty fun with, even though it didn’t end like we all wanted, but I thought it was really interesting as far as playing away games and playing under pressure.”

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