NBA Draft analyst Sam Vecenie has vaulted Perth’s Alex Sarr into the upper echelon of prospects going into the NBL24 NBA Draft. 

“I would have Alex Sarr as a top three guy right now on my board,” Vecenie said on the Game Theory Podcast.

“I think Alex Sarr is a genuine contender to go number one overall in this draft… depending on who gets that number one overall pick, they could really sell themselves on Alex Sarr being the best long-term asset in this draft. 

“Alex Sarr is a joke defensively. He is so, so advanced for a teenager playing in a professional league. I was like ‘this guy has a feel for the game and an innate understanding of the moment'.”

Speaking on the NBL Next Star’s potential to fill out his body, Vecenie explained that if Sarr can comfortably play the centre position, it will be a game changer.

“If he can get the strength and that power to his game, I think there is a lot of potential upside to play as a five.” 

But Sarr wasn’t the only high-level NBA prospect on display, with over 40 NBA scouts, multiple draft analysts (including Vecenie) and 27 NBA teams represented at the Hungry Jack’s NBL Blitz, there was a wealth of young talent showing their wares on the Gold Coast. 

One of those prospects was 19-year-old Illawarra Hawk Lachlan Olbrich, who Vecenie declared the storyline of the Blitz. 

“Lachlan Olbrich is the breakout player of the NBL Blitz, by far,” he said. 

“I’m not over-exaggerating when I say, I won’t lock him there right now, but the ceiling is first-round pick… I’m telling you, you cannot rule out [Olbrich being] a first round right now.

The creativity, the efficiency, he’s a big 6’10 kid who has both college pedigree and now potential to produce in the NBL.” 

The former Big West Freshman of the Year with UC Riverside decided to return to Australia to play with the Illawarra Hawks. Before the Blitz Olbrich showed his skills in the NBL1, and was named to the NBL1 Central All-Star Five season with the championship-winning West Adelaide Bearcats – where he was also crowned the Finals MVP. 

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Vecenie is also intrigued by young Cairns guard Taran Armstrong.

While he critiqued some aspects of his game, Vecenie said his intelligence and passing outweigh many of his current flaws as a prospect. 

“Taran Armstrong is probably one of the best 15 processors and passers on planet Earth right now,” he said.

Armstrong collected WAC Freshman of the Year honours after his first year with California Baptist University, while he averaged an impressive 16 points per game with 4.4 assists playing for the NW Thunder in the NBL1 South this past season. 

The NBL season opens on Thursday night when Melbourne take on South East Melbourne, live on ESPN via Kayo from 7:30pm AEST.

Sarr and the Wildcats will open their NBL season the following night against Tasmania from 9:30pm AEST.