Sarr isn't in the starting five for Wednesday's season opener against the Bulls, Rylan Stiles of FanSided.com reports.
Sarr will move back to the bench with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander returning to the starting lineup. Sarr made just nine appearances for the Thunder last year but will likely compete with Aleksej Pokusevski for backup center minutes with Jaylin Williams (hamstring) out.
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Thunder's Olivier Sarr: Decent in spot start
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Sarr recorded 10 points (3-4 FG, 4-4 FT), six rebounds, an assist and two blocks across 25 minutes in Thursday's 118-116 preseason loss to the Pistons.
Sarr was a surprising addition to the starting lineup in the preseason finale, but he delivered a solid outing on both ends of the court. Based on this performance and the fact that Jaylin Williams (hamstring) will open the season on the injured list, Sarr might be part of the Thunder roster on Opening Night. However, he's not expected to play a prominent role off the bench if that's the case, ultimately limiting his fantasy upside.
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Thunder's Olivier Sarr: Will start against Detroit
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Sarr will start Thursday's game against the Pistons, Rylan Stiles of FanSided.com reports.
Head coach Mark Daigneault confirmed the starters well before the 8 PM ET tipoff, and Sarr will replace Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (knee), though Sarr will play in the frontcourt next to Chet Holmgren. Expect Luguentz Dort and Josh Giddey to handle most of the playmaking duties with the first unit.
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Thunder's Olivier Sarr: Returns to Oklahoma City
Rotowire
Sarr signed a two-way contract with Oklahoma City on Monday.
Sarr moved between Oklahoma City's parent club and its G League affiliate for most of last season, and he'll rejoin the organization on a deal that will allow him to play a similar role in 2023-24. Over nine appearances with the Thunder last season, he averaged 4.0 points and 3.4 rebounds in 12.7 minutes per game.
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Thunder's Olivier Sarr: Back to bench for Play-In
Rotowire
Sarr will not start Wednesday's game against the Pelicans, Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman reports.
Sarr started the Thunder's regular-season finale with the team resting several of its rotation players and, as expected, will slide to the second unit Wednesday. Considering Sarr has played just nine games this season, he shouldn't be expected to touch the floor.
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Thunder's Olivier Sarr: Dominant performance in paint
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Sarr racked up 22 points (10-15 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 2-4 FT), 15 rebounds, one assist and one steal in 42 minutes before fouling out of Sunday's 115-100 win over the Grizzlies.
Sarr had the second-best game of his two-year career, and looked far more proficient than Jeremiah Robinson-Earl in the interior. The Kentucky product only played in nine games with the parent club during the regular season, however, so he doesn't have much fantasy upside.
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Thunder's Olivier Sarr: Starting Sunday
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Sarr is starting Sunday against Memphis, Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman reports.
Sarr has had minimal playing time in recent matchups, totaling just 13 minutes over Oklahoma City's last eight games. However, he'll draw the start in Sunday's regular-season finale since the team is resting several players ahead of the Play-In Tournament.
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Thunder's Olivier Sarr: Starts second half Tuesday
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Sarr finished Tuesday's 101-100 win over the Clippers with four points (1-4 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 2-2 FT), six rebounds, two assists and two blocks across 19 minutes.
After being excluded from the rotation in the Thunder's previous game Sunday against the Suns, Sarr not only drew back into the mix Tuesday, but he actually started the second half over Jaylin Williams, who was dealing with foul trouble. The Thunder's center rotation has been volatile for most of the season, so despite his solid showing Tuesday, Sarr can't be relied upon to take the court in Thursday's rematch with the Clippers. Dario Saric (coach's decision) didn't leave the bench Tuesday, but he had played double-digit minutes each of the past five games and may still be ahead of Sarr in the pecking order.
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Thunder's Olivier Sarr: Solid performance in loss
Rotowire
Sarr finished with 17 points (7-11 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 1-3 FT), 10 rebounds and six assists in 32 minutes during Friday's 112-110 loss to the Stars.
After a brief stint with the Thunder, Sarr made his return to the G League, where he dominated by finishing with a double-double on an efficient clip. While with the Blue, expect him to continue to play at a high level as the primary big man.
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Thunder's Olivier Sarr: Gets run in blowout
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Sarr played 11 minutes in Wednesday's 132-101 loss to the Suns, finishing with five points (2-3 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 1-1 FT), two rebounds and one block.
Since Oklahoma City was without five players due to injury or rest and the game turned into a blowout by the end of the third quarter, head coach Mark Daigneault was able to empty the bench and get a look at Sarr, who played all but one minute and 11 seconds of the final period. Jaylin Williams and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl both played ahead of Sarr and appear to be the Thunder's preferred options at center, so the second-year big man out of Kentucky looks as though he'll find himself out of the rotation more often than not.
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Thunder's Olivier Sarr: Solid performance in loss
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Sarr finished with 17 points (6-9 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 2-2 FT), 10 rebounds and two assists in 28 minutes Wednesday during the G League's Oklahoma City Blue's 106-98 loss to the Memphis Hustle.
Even though the Blue didn't come home with the win, Sarr looked dominant, finishing with a double-double on a very efficient clip. When healthy, expect him to continue to play at a high level as one of the main big men for Oklahoma City.
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Thunder's Olivier Sarr: Inks two-way deal with OKC
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Sarr agreed Saturday with the Thunder on a two-way contract, Michael Scotto of USA Today reports.
Sarr will begin his second stint with the Thunder, as he previously appeared in 22 games with the NBA squad as a rookie in 2021-22 over the course of a pair of 10-day deals before landing a two-way contract. Oklahoma City released Sarr in February, with the 6-foot-11 center ultimately earning a two-way contract with Portland in October before being waived in November after suffering a significant ligament tear in his right wrist. He eventually caught on with the Thunder's G League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue, with whom he made his season debut Jan. 11. He then proceeded to miss three and a half weeks with an unspecified injury, but he appeared in three games for the Blue over the past week and looks to be back to full strength. Expect Sarr to see most of his action with the Blue moving forward, especially with the Thunder frontcourt drawing closer to full strength with the impending return of Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (ankle) from an extended absence. Sarr has averaged 11.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.5 blocks and 1.3 assists in 20.9 minutes through his first four G League outings this season.
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Olivier Sarr: Hits injured list
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Sarr (undisclosed) was placed on the injured list by the Blue on Thursday.
Sarr didn't suit up for Tuesday's tilt against Grand Rapids, and it's unclear exactly when he'll be cleared to make his return to the floor. He's likely facing a multi-game absence as a result.
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Olivier Sarr: Doesn't suit up Tuesday
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Sarr (undisclosed) did not suit up for the Blue's Tuesday night matchup against the Grand Rapids Gold.
Sarr did not have the chance to showcase his two-way abilities against the Gold as he continues to deal with an undisclosed injury. His next opportunity to suit up will be on Jan. 27.
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Olivier Sarr: Doesn't suit up Thursday
Rotowire
Sarr did not suit up for the Blue's Thursday night matchup against the G League Ignite.
Even though Sarr was listed as healthy, he did not have the chance to make an impact against the Ignite, which is surprising since he's averaging 10.0 points and 5.0 rebounds over 22.9 minutes per night. His next opportunity to play will be Jan. 15.
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Olivier Sarr: Waived by Trail Blazers
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The Trail Blazers waived Sarr (wrist) on Friday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
Sarr has been dealing with a high-grade partial tear in his right wrist since late October, and it's not yet clear when he'll be deemed ready to return to game action. However, he'll be forced to seek out other opportunities after the Trail Blazers signed Ibou Badji to a two-way contract Friday. Sarr could wind up in the G League if no other NBA team has a two-way opening to use on him.
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Trail Blazers' Olivier Sarr: To be re-evaluated in six weeks
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Sarr recently underwent a further evaluation that revealed a high-grade partial tear in his right wrist and will be re-evaluated in six weeks.
An injury update posted by the Trail Blazers revealed the injury suffered Oct. 11 is more serious than initially thought. With fellow big man Trendon Watford (hip) yet to make a regular-season appearance, Justise Winslow and Drew Eubanks should see more minutes in what is now an extremely thin frontcourt.
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Trail Blazers' Olivier Sarr: Won't play Friday
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Sarr (wrist) has been ruled out for Friday's game against the Suns, Casey Holdahl of the Trail Blazers' official site reports.
Sarr missed Wednesday's opener against the Kings due to a sprained right wrist, and it appears he isn't quite ready to make his season debut. With Trendon Watford (hip) also set to miss Friday's game, Drew Eubanks could see increased run in Portland's frontcourt behind starting center Jusuf Nurkic.
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Trail Blazers' Olivier Sarr: Out Wednesday
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Sarr (wrist) won't play in Wednesday's game against the Kings, Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee reports.
Sarr will officially miss the season opener with a lingering wrist injury. The center's next chance to make his season debut looms Friday versus the Suns.
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Trail Blazers' Olivier Sarr: Reevaluation coming in a week
Rotowire
An MRI on Thursday confirmed Sarr sprained his right wrist in Tuesday's preseason game against the Kings, Casey Holdahl of the Trail Blazers' official site reports. He will be evaluated again in a week.
Despite the wrist issue, Portland converted Sarr's contract to a two-way deal Thursday, indicating he will remain part of the organization this season and figures to see time at both levels. Sarr will presumably be unavailable for the start of the regular season, though it's unclear how long his unavailability will extend.
