Alex Sarr is expected to make his return from the adductor injury that kept him sidelined for the month of December on Thursday against the Spurs. The Wizards released their injury report (via Twitter), which didn’t include either him or Bilal Coulibaly, who has missed the last four games with an oblique injury.
Sarr has played in 16 of the Wizards’ 24 games this season, averaging 19.1 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in just 29.7 minutes per night. He also has managed to raise his field goal percentage from 39.4% in his rookie season to 51.5% as a second-year big man.
Coulibaly’s season has been derailed multiple times due to injuries. He has only managed to suit up for 12 contests and struggled in that time to find his rhythm offensively, averaging 8.8 points in 27.2 minutes per game while shooting career lows in field goal percentage (37.4%) and three-point percentage (26.8%).
Despite that, the return of the two young Frenchmen will undoubtedly come as a relief to the Wizards, who boast the worst defensive rating in the league by a wide margin. Sarr and Coulibaly are averaging a combined 3.0 blocks and 2.1 steals this season and are expected to serve as the backbone of the team’s defensive structure. The two have played eight games together this season.
The injury report notes that Malaki Branham is questionable with a right thumb sprain, while Khris Middleton (right knee contusion) and Corey Kispert (right thumb distal phalanx fracture) remain out.