Observing Alex Sarr, Bobi Klintman, and Taran Armstrong in a 2023 NBL Blitz Game

September 21^st, 2023

This time around, I decided to watch Perth’s center, Alex Sarr play in a September 17th NBL Blitz game against Bobi Klintman and Cairns, with thanks to YouTube via National Basketball League. Alex Sarr is a tremendously athletic and skilled big man that dominated in the exhibition games against the G-League Ignite, and Bobi Klintman is an athletic combo forward that can really shoot the basketball, and he is a first round prospect that is now playing for Cairns. In addition, there were also other interesting draft prospects such as former California Baptist guard Taran Armstrong, and former Davidson forward, Sam Mennenga. Here are my thoughts on how Sarr, Klintman, and other various prospects fared in this game, as well as how their games may stack up as prospects for the NBA. Also, for those of you who are interested in the box score of this game, here is the link.

Alex Sarr has really impressed draft analysts and scouts alike, and his tremendous play against the G-League Ignite and strong performances in the NBL preseason combined with having great size, athleticism, and skill set has them buzzing that he could be the top pick of the 2024 draft.
(Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images, via Yahoo Sports)

Perth’s 7-1 center, Alex Sarr had a rather subdued performance as he came off the bench and didn’t get the ball nearly as often or take as many shots, but it was still a solid one, as he shot the ball well, made good passes, and made some terrific defensive plays in his team’s win over Cairns.

Sarr generally excelled at scoring on hustle plays. He did a good job of using off-ball movement to score, and he would make strong moves to score at the rim. He was able to cut to the post to get the ball, and he then scored on a strong layup while getting an extra free throw. He also managed to get the ball in stride while on the move late in the game, which allowed him to score on a thunderous dunk. He also drew free throws on an aggressive drive in transition. He did miss on a quick put back off of an offensive board once due to rushing.

He also shot the ball well, especially from beyond the arc. He excelled at making open, spot-up threes off the catch. Sarr has great size and shooting touch from deep, and he is a good shooter that can consistently make shots from the outside. While he didn’t shoot the ball very often in this game, he did a good job of making them.

Sarr showcased solid playmaking skills in this game. He did a very good job of passing the basketball to notch assists. He was able to make an assortment of passes, as he can find teammates on the move and also make passes off the dribble to set up numerous scoring chances for them. He also handled the ball well. He didn’t commit many turnovers. He did commit one when he tried to make a drive and kick pass on the break once, but ended up getting intercepted.

Plus, he also showed a solid ability to rebound the basketball. Sarr was able to haul in plenty of boards on both ends of the floor, and he has very good athleticism, size, and motor that would enable him to come away with a good number of rebounds. He also played satisfactory defense. Sarr did a very good job of blocking shots, as he can defend opposing ball handlers out on the perimeter to do so, and he also can rotate from close range to swat shots to help his team protect the paint. He also was able to jump on a loose ball to get a steal, and he was able to contest a variety of shots to force misses.

On the other hand, he would sometimes get beat off the dribble or get caught ball watching, as he lost track of a cutter once, and it would lead his team to allow scores. Other times, he would give up too much space and not actively contest outside shots, which would lead his team to give up open jump shots and allow scores.

In general, Alex Sarr quietly played well in his team’s win over Cairns. While he didn’t have a dominant performance, he showed off a solid set of all-around skills. He has been one of the best draft prospects so far, and he is a strong contender to be the top pick in the 2024 draft, and he has the skills to develop into a star player in the NBA.

Cairns’ 6-10 Swedish forward, Bobi Klintman has been getting praise for his solid play in the 2023 NBL Blitz, and he could end up being considered for the lottery of the 2024 draft.
(Photo: Getty Images for NBL, via The Australian)

Bobi Klintman is a tall, athletic forward that can shoot and score the basketball. At Wake Forest, he was definitely known for his sharpshooting prowess, which put him on the map as a draft prospect. I wanted to know how far he’s evolved since then, so I watched him play in an NBL Blitz game against Perth. It seems that he’s clearly worked on other skills as it may be slowly paying off and dividends.

Klintman showed a solid ability to score off the dribble. He drove hard to his left to score on a tough, running layup. He also drove the other way to draw free throws another time. Klintman also showed a knack for scoring on hustle plays. He showed that he can score off of cuts, and he also drew free throws o an strong put back in traffic. Sometimes though, he would rush his moves, which would lead to misses. Though he didn’t shoot the ball well from the outside in this game, Klintman was able to make a long, open two-pointer smoothly from the corner.

As a playmaker, he looked to be about average at best. For the positives, Klintman played unselfishly and showed off improved ball-handling skills. He was able to push the pace and threw a no-look pass to set up a score on the break. He also made a quick cut to the hoop to get the ball, and he then threw a crisp, interior pass to notch another assist. On the downside, he would still struggle with his ball-handling at times, especially when pressured, which would lead him to commit ball-handling turnovers. He still doesn’t really have a tight handle, and he would sometimes get stripped or lose the basketball. He also would tend to throw inaccurate passes that would end up going astray, as one went out of bounds, and another got intercepted.

Also, Klintman did a decent job of rebounding the basketball. He was active at crashing the glass on both ends of the floor, and he would quickly push the pace off of defensive boards. On one play early on, he tried to leak out, but he didn’t stay to try to get a defensive board, which led his team to give up a put back score.

He also played decent defense in this game. Klintman did a very good job of playing help defense, as he would jump passes to get steals. When defending an opposing ball handler on a baseline drive, he stayed with his man and poked a ball away to get another timely steal. He also would close out on three-point shooters to force misses, and he also rotated on a drive to successfully draw a charge. On the downside, he would tend to get beat off the dribble early on, which would lead his teammates to have to rotate to commit fouls. Other times, he would sag and stray too far off his man and give up too much space, which would lead his team to allow opponents to score on open jumpers.

Overall, though Klintman struggled a bit with his outside shot against Perth, he appeared to have improved in the other facets of the game. He’s been more aggressive as a shot creator on offense and he seems to have shown a more aggressive disposition and willingness to defend. He’ll need to continue to play well throughout the season, but if so, he could rapidly move up draft boards, and he is a first round prospect for the 2024 draft.

Taran Armstrong put forth an impressive performance in his team’s loss to Perth. Armstrong showed off strong court vision and impressive playmaking skills, and he made a lot of very solid plays to help rack up assists throughout this game. He also did a great job of pulling down boards, and he really helped himself by making solid team plays in the NBL Blitz.

Armstrong displayed very good playmaking skills in this game. He is a terrific passer, especially in the open court, and he really excelled at finding the open man. He would throw sharp passes to find open corner shooters, make swift drive and kick passes, and he also excelled at finding open teammates on the move. He can make passes off the dribble, and he also showed that he can throw an accurate lob pass on the break. On the other hand, sometimes he would try to make home run passes that his teammates wouldn’t be quite ready for, which would lead to some turnovers. He also had a ball stolen away from him when handling it once another time.

He also excelled at scoring on crafty drives to the hoop. Armstrong was able to score on a strong drive in transition in traffic. He also utilized a pump fake and drove in to draw free throws, and would’ve scored on a scoop floater had no call been made. On the other hand, he would sometimes throw up questionable, contested, off-balanced mid-range jumpers off the dribble, which would lead to misses. Armstrong also did not take a three-point shoot in this game. He also was able to score on a strong put back and get an extra free throw, and Armstrong is a high-motor player that can make hustle plays on both sides of the ball.

Plus, Armstrong did a great job of rebounding the basketball. He would often go in to get rebounds to help his team on both ends of the floor. Armstrong was able to dive on the ground and scrapped for a loose ball to get an offensive board. He also would fly in to get defensive rebounds and would sometimes push the pace.

Defensively, he looked to be about average. For the positives, Armstrong was able to poke a ball away to help his team get a steal, and he also hustled back and leapt up to deflect a pass out of bounds another time. He would fight hard through screens, and he would contest shots off the dribble to force misses. However, he would sometimes struggle in screen situations, which would lead his team to give up scores around the basket. Other times, he would have trouble defending opponents off the dribble, which would lead his team to commit fouls and allow scores. Another time, he didn’t actively close out on a three-point shooter, which led his team to give up the basket.

In summary, Taran Armstrong quietly played well, and he did a great job of passing and moving the basketball. He made smart decisions, especially on the offensive end, and he showed very good competitiveness defensively. He’ll need to improve his outside shot and defense, but his strong playmaking skills combined with having above average athletic gifts and a good feel for the game could enable him to be a second round pick in the 2024 draft.

Ben Henshall had a decent showing in his team’s win over Cairns. As he has been building a rep from being a sharpshooter, he decided to be much more aggressive in taking the ball to the basket in this game. He did a decent job of scoring off the dribble. He would use an assortment of moves to score. Henshall was able to use a quick spin move to score in traffic, and he also used a ball fake to score on a floater another time. However, he also would tend to take contested shots, which would lead to some misses. In addition, he did not take a single three-point shot in this game.

He also showcased satisfactory playmaking skills. Henshall was able to swing a ball sharply to an open teammate to notch an assist. He also rebounded the ball well in limited minutes. He also played adequate defense. Henshall was able to rotate to swipe a ball away to get a steal. He also contested a three to force a miss. On the other hand, sometimes he would struggle to defend off the dribble or in transition, which would lead his team team to give up open shots.

Overall, Ben Henshall had his ups and downs, but he was able to make some solid hustle plays in this game. He didn’t get a whole lot of playing time, and he didn’t really look to take many outside shots in this game, but he is an agile, skilled combo guard that could project into a bench role at the NBA level someday.

Former Davidson forward, Sam Mennenga had his ups and downs for Cairns in his team’s loss in this game. He didn’t shoot well from the outside, but he did other things well on both ends of the floor.

Mennenga showed that he can score on hustle plays. He was able to slip a screen to get the ball in the post, and he utilized a quick ball fake to score. He also ran in to score on a tip-in. He also would’ve scored on a backdoor cut, but his teammate drew a foul earlier. On one play though, he used a pump fake and dribbled in off of an offensive rebound, but got blocked on a put back despite appearing to draw some contact on the play.

He also showed a satisfactory ability to score off the dribble. Mennenga utilized a pump fake and drove hard to his left to score in traffic. On one play though, he used a ball fake and drove hard to his left towards the baseline, but got blocked on a dunk attempt despite appearing to draw some contact.

Also, he didn’t shoot the ball very well from the outside, and he missed all of his three-point shots. He missed despite being open to take a corner three early on, and he also air-balled a contested three from deep another time.

Mennenga also showcased decent playmaking skills. He is a good passer that can find open teammates on the move, and would consistnetly find cutters to set up scoring chances for them. He can also ably pass out of the post. Plus, he was able to pass the ball back on a dribble handoff to notch an early assist.

Plus, he also did a good job of rebounding the basketball. He was quite active at crashing the glass, and he would leap up to haul in boards on both ends of the floor. He also was able to bring the ball up off of a defensive rebound. Defensively, he looked to be fairly average. Mennenga showed decent footwork to guard opponents out on the perimeter, and he was able to contest a couple of threes to force misses. He also rotated to contest a drive to force a miss. However, he would tend to sag and give up too much space to shooters, which would lead them to get open jump shots. Another time, he didn’t tell his teammate a screen was coming, as his teammate struggled to get around it and it led their team to give up a mid-range basket to an opponent.

Overall, Sam Mennenga had some good moments in his team’s loss to Perth. He is a skilled scorer that will make hustle plays, especially on offense. On the other hand, he didn’t shoot well in this game, and he looked to be quite passive at times on the defensive end. Still, he is an above average athlete that generally made fairly solid decisions when he was on the floor, and he could project into a 3 and D role at the NBA level.

All in all, those are my thoughts on how Sarr, Klintman, Armstrong, and other prospects fared in this game. Thanks for reading.