Midseason Dario Saric Update: How is he Performing in Euroleague?

Euroleague play has started in Turkey, and Anadolu Efes is one of the 24 teams that made the field. With the final group stage play ongoing, and the All-Star Break giving the Philadelphia 76ers a week off, it seems like the perfect time for a Dario Saric update. Euroleague play allows us to see Saric against the top competition Europe has to offer, and so far, Saric has been solid.

Through 16 Euroleague games, Saric is averaging 9.6 points per game on 46.4 percent shooting, 5.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and nearly a steal per game, per Draft Express. That may not seem like much, but you have to remember that in Europe, stats are warped because there are less minutes per game. Saric is playing just 23.4 minutes per game, and if you stretch his numbers to per-36 minute values, they jump to 14.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. Those numbers are a lot more impressive, and are more indicative of the all-around talent Saric possesses.

Saric’s scoring has been inconsistent at best throughout the tournament, especially when it comes to outside shooting. His best games came in regular season pool play, when he scored 18 points against Nizhny Novgorod (Russia) on 7-of-10 shooting, and then posting a repeat 18-point performance against Dinamo Banco di Sardegna Sassari (Italy) on 6-of-9 shooting. In Top-16 play, however, scoring has been a lot more difficult to come by. His scoring has dipped to 6.7 points per game in seven games of this round. Particularly concerning have been his most recent three outputs – four points in a win over Olympiacos (Greece), five points in a win over Emporio Milan (Italy, and just two points in Friday’s loss to rival Fenerbahce Ulker.

Saric’s scoring mostly comes at the rim off drives, and he’s been doing that very efficiently in Euroleague action. Saric is shooting 53.3 percent on two-point field goals, and most of that’s coming at the rim, although he’s been pretty consistent as a midrange shooter as well. The issue is when he starts chucking threes, as he’s shooting just 28.6 percent from outside. Saric’s three point shooting has been pretty ugly throughout his career, and it’s a major spot that the Sixers might want him to develop in if he’s going to play in the NBA. However, he still doesn’t have great mechanics, and he’s shooting just 29 percent across all competitions this year. For a stretch four type, he probably needs to get to at least around 35 percent.

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The forward is displaying his fantastic all-around game, though, which makes up for his scoring inconsistency. Saric finished top-10 in the Euro league regular pool play in defensive rebounding, grabbing 46 defensive rebounds in eleven games. While his rebounding totals have dropped this season for Efes, that’s more a function of roster than anything else. Saric has spent much of his developmental time as a power forward, which has resulted in more exaggerated rebounding totals with KK Cibona and Dinamo Zagreb. This season, though, Saric hasn’t been asked to be the primary rebounder for Efes because they also have skilled bigs in Gabon’s Stephane Lasme and former New Jersey Nets and Oklahoma City Thunder center Nenad Krstic on their frontline. Saric’s still posting impressive totals, of course, and that 8.4 rebounds per-36 is nothing to laugh at.

Passing, though, has always been Saric’s exceptional skill, and he’s done a great job at creating opportunities for his teammates through crisp entry passes and sleek drive-and-kick looks. This is the one area he’s vastly improved in this year, as he’s improved in both output (3.74 assists per-36 to 3.69 last year), as well as quality. The European just looks all-world as a passer, and he’s used that when his shot isn’t going, as was on showcase in the Real Madrid game in pool play where he had eight assists to go along with 11 points.

Defensively, there’s really nothing new to report with Saric. The same strengths and weaknesses exist. Yes, he’s still got very quick hands and has a high steal rate. Yes, he still has lapses in space. And oh boy, does he ever still get pushed around on the low block. Defense isn’t really something he relies on, though. It’s clear that offense is where Saric is going to make his most immediate impact, and the defense should come along, as it does for all young players.

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The 6’10” forward and Efes have seven more contests left to go in Top-16 group play, and currently sit in the advancement zone, in fourth place of the eight teams in group F. We’ve got plenty of chances to still see Saric against top competition, as he still gets to play Olympiacos, CSKA Moscow, and Fenerbahce again. Efes should hopefully advance to the top-8, and that’ll give us more top-flight games to evaluate him. However, while he’s struggling with consistency in scoring, Saric’s all-around skills have him looking every bit like a player who will make an impact when he joins the 76ers in 2016.