Robert Sacre

Derek Bodner

After a foot injury caused him to miss most of what became a redshirted 2008-2009 campaign, senior center Robert Sacre has been a consistent contributor for the Gonzaga Bulldogs.

Standing a legitimate 7 feet with an NBA ready frame, it's easy to see where the intrigue around Sacre begins. Sacre uses his size well, getting the majority of his half-court offense in the post, where most teams simply do not have the size to match up with him. Sacre does a good job of establishing position early and sealing off his defender, giving his teammates a clear entry pass and forcing defenders to foul, where his 8.5 free throw attempts per 40 minutes pace adjusted rank as one of the top numbers among centers in our database.

His post game, while still not overly diversified, has seen slight improvement. He's showing more over his right shoulder and has added a baseline spin move to go along with his more preferred moves, a right handed hook shot and turnaround fade-away jump shot. It's still fairly methodical and slow developing, but if he can continue to show increased diversity it will help him offset some of his athletic limitations.

His lack of explosiveness is the biggest question mark in projecting his post game to the next level, as he is neither overly quick out of his moves or explosive as a leaper, and he has his shot blocked more than you would hope for considering the size advantage he has on most nights. With the increased length and athleticism at the next level, and not having the kind of offensive diversity to date that would offset a drop in his productivity in the post, it brings into question how much of an offensive factor he could be at the next level.

Sacre's biggest offensive contributions outside of post-up situations has been on the offensive glass, where he effectively uses his size and high effort level to be a good offensive rebounder. He also moves well without the ball and has solid hands, although both of these strengths are again somewhat offset by his lack of vertical explosion and at times difficulty finishing in traffic, although his ability to get position and get fouled allows him to be efficient in these sets.

Sacre's improvement as a jump shooter is perhaps the area of his game that could help him the most. He appeared to improve somewhat as a set shooter, although the sample size is still small enough that he still has a lot to prove in this regard. His improvement in free throw percentage, from 62.9% to 82.3%, this past year, provides some level of comfort that this is an area that Sacre could add to his game, and it is paramount to his success at the next level.

Sacre is a very effective defender at the collegiate level, both in terms of team and man to man defense. He appears to get in a good stance defending the pick and roll and moves his feet better than expected, although he can be burned by misdirections and double moves, as he sometimes struggles to change direction. His defensive rotations aren't the quickest, but he appears to be a smart defender and has good recognition and knowledge of team concepts, and his length and timing allows him to be a weak side shot blocker. In the post is where he is the most comfortable defensively, and where he shows the most promise at the next level, as he does a good job of denying deep post position and uses his length to effectively disrupt offensive players.

Sacre's poor defensive rebounding -- his 5.8 defensive rebounds per 40 minutes pace adjusted ranks amongst the worst numbers for centers in our database, albeit an improvement over his 2009-2010 year -- is the other area that makes projecting him to the next level difficult. With the expected drop in offensive usage at the next level it would be much easier to project him as a role player if he was more of a contributor in this regard. He simply doesn't appear to be all that instinctual of a rebounder on this end of the court and he doesn't have the athleticism or quickness to make up for that.

Sacre's size and physical tools will continue to garner attention throughout the season, and much attention will likely be given to defensive ability and how that might translate. Showing scouts that he has the potential to develop an effective mid-range jump shot, allowing him to transition to an off the ball scorer away from being a primary focus in the post, could help as well. Perhaps most important will be whether he can shore up his defensive rebounding to allow him to be a consistent contributor even when his number is not being called offensively.

Matthew Williams

After redshirting last season due to a foot injury suffered just five games into the 2008-2009 campaign, 7-footer Robert Sacre has quietly emerged as an extremely valuable contributor for Mark Few’s young Gonzaga squad. Despite seeing limited minutes as a freshman and sophomore, Sacre has improved considerably and provides a fine interior presence for the Bulldogs and a quality replacement for Josh Heytvelt. Considering his size, aggressiveness, and the fact that he’s just a sophomore, Sacre is a player to keep an eye on as he continues building his draft resume.

A true center, Sacre’s size and physical attributes make him an intriguing player from an NBA perspective. Possessing good lower body strength, some mobility, and good height, Sacre has the tools that NBA teams look for at the five spot. Considering the lack of depth at his position in recent drafts, if he can add some weight to his frame, and continue improving his post game, he could easily find himself labeled as one of the better centers available when all is said and done.

Sacre has always been intimidating from a physical stand-point, but the improvements he’s made in the past two seasons in his post game have also played a role in his ability to garner attention. He’s always worked hard to gain position down low, but now displays the patience to take advantage of his opportunities to score from the block. Able to establish position easily against most college centers, Sacre uses his body extremely well to draw contact and his size to get off the methodical, basic turnaround jumpers and hooks that comprise his post repertoire.

None of his Sacre’s moves are particularly smooth, and he definitely lacks a degree of suddenness, but he’s shooting 56.9% from the post according to Synergy Sports Technology thanks to his ability to establish a base and be aggressive. He could definitely stand to improve his decision-making ability and develop some counter moves on the block, as he still forces some tough looks into defenders, doesn’t appear very discerning when well defended, and won’t be able to take advantage of his height as consistently on the next level.

Though Sacre has made some definite strides offensively, he remains notably limited in some areas. His lack of explosiveness hurts his finishing ability in a crowd, and will require him to make some adjustments to his post game on the next level. It also hurts his defensive presence in terms of shot blocking, though he’s a staunch one-on-one defender in the post because of his effort level.

Perhaps his biggest weakness as it stands right now is his rebounding. Averaging only 7.7 rebounds per-40 minutes pace adjusted, one of the worst figures of any center in our database, Sacre doesn’t show much in the way of instincts on the glass, which is problematic given that he doesn’t project as a go-to type offensively, and thus may struggle to find a way to earn minutes at the NBA level.

Considering that he has two more years of eligibility, this won’t be the last time we write about Robert Sacre. As it stands right now, he’s firmly on the draft radar due to his size and productivity, but he still has a lot of work to do to solidify himself as a surefire NBA player. His work ethic bodes well for his future, but he’ll need to overcome his poor rebounding ability and find a way to diversify his offensive game to ready himself for the athleticism he’ll face in the NBA. He may not be the most glamorous player, but centers are always at a premium come draft time, and still has some time to establish his stock.