The Pros And Cons Of An Alex Sarr-anthony Davis Frontcourt

In Michael Winger’s January 2026 press conference, he said that the Wizards have completed their “reconstruction phase.”

Not long after, the Wizards made blockbuster trades for Trae Young and Anthony Davis, a nod to a near-future in which the Wizards start winning more games and playing credible night-to-night basketball. 

Davis, when healthy, is an elite rim-runner and defensive anchor, but he would represent a sea change for the Wizards’ core, particularly Alex Sarr. A pairing with AD could create a dominant rim defense, but also make Sarr’s life more complicated offensively and throw other young core members, like Bilal Coulibaly, into an uncertain future.

Of course, Davis’s health is notoriously fragile. But pairing him with Sarr in next season’s frontcourt, even for a limited number of games, is a fact-finding mission. The result could have big implications for what kind of team the Wizards want to be.

Let’s run through some pros and cons of pairing a more traditional center with Sarr.

Pro: The rim defense would be impenetrable

Sarr currently holds opponents to 55 percent shooting at the rim — an elite number. Davis, at full throttle, is one of the league’s most intimidating rim defenders.

The Wizards project as a small team in the backcourt. Tre Johnson is likely best as a shooting guard, whether that means playing next to Trae Young or another point guard.

An elite duo of rim defenders would make building around Johnson easier and create a model akin to Cleveland’s Jarrett Allen-Evan Mobley pairing. Plus, the Wizards would be able to keep one of Sarr or Davis on the floor all game to anchor the defense.

Con: Playing power forward could diminish Sarr as an offensive force

As it stands, Sarr thrives by attacking the footspeed of slower centers. He forces scramble rotations with his pick-and-pops and arrives late as a trailer. Obviously, he would mostly be guarded by power forwards and bigger wings in lineups with AD.

The Wizards have to think about whether the other benefits are worth cutting off Sarr’s path to easy buckets. Sarr could reorient his game to punish smaller players inside, but this is easier said than done; getting Sarr those touches would require constant attention to make sure he isn’t relegated to a spacing role. (The Knicks and Wolves could tell you all about this with Karl-Anthony Towns.)

Sarr is the Wizards’ best player. You have to maximize him.

Pro: Sarr is a short-roll screener. He could still do that with Davis.

As you’ve probably noticed, teams are already guarding Sarr with wings and hiding their center somewhere else, like Coulibaly. Perhaps this is bound to become a permanent state of affairs, with or without Davis, if Sarr keeps dusting behemoth centers.

(Note that Chet Holmgren rarely gets guarded by big men anymore, even when he’s the lone center for OKC. The same goes for Towns.)

Teams that use this gambit are likely to switch most screens involving Sarr to limit easy pick-and-rolls.

Sarr is developing counters. Take a look at this play:

Joel Embiid is hiding in the paint, ranging away from Coulibaly. Sarr, knowing the Sixers are switching everything, pins VJ Edgecombe as he sets a screen, creating a deep paint touch for himself. From there, it’s all skill in the restricted area.

Alperen Sengun is great at these plays for the Rockets. In this scenario, Davis would be an overqualified threat to catch a lob or grab an offensive rebound, like Steven Adams in Houston.

Con: Double-big could make life harder for other young Wizards

A Sarr-Davis pairing would probably be just fine for Tre Johnson. But I’m more dubious for the other core guys.

Consider Kyshawn George. One of the revelations about George this season has been his ability to create as a passer and dribble-handoff screener. The Wizards have gotten a lot of offense from these plays:

George is certainly capable of playing as an oversized three in jumbo lineups. But right now, he is better at this type of creation than he is as a quick-trigger corner shooter and closeout attacker.

Coulibaly, for his part, might lose his starting spot to Davis. Unless his shooting takes a real leap, the spacing concerns would likely be too much to bear. This would transfer top perimeter defense responsibilities to … George?

Barring a mythical point guard addition that can also handle perimeter stopping duties — your guess is as good as mine — I’m struggling to understand how the Wizards would handle guarding elite ball-handlers in these double-big set-ups.

Takeaways

It should be noted that the Wizards will likely only play Sarr and Davis together for 10-15 minutes a game, with heavy staggering, like Cleveland does. Some of these concerns might be lessened in that scenario.

But in the playoffs, you want to play your best guys. At least for next season, they will have to trust this pairing as a significant part of the team’s identity.

Down the line, I wonder if a more modest center addition who can play bench minutes alongside Sarr might make more sense. Similar to the Spurs and Luke Kornet, adding this element without a total identity sea change could be a suitable middle ground. This could mean old friend Daniel Gafford, or a guy like the Nets’ Day’Ron Sharpe or the Pelicans’ Yves Missi. 

I’m intrigued enough by Davis’s additive skillset talent and Sarr’s amenability that I supported the move, at such low cost, at the time of the trade. Davis’s elite screen-setting will help the Wizards’ offense steady itself and free up the guards. The defensive ceiling is tantalizing. It is worth the experiment next season.