Philadelphia 76ers: Evaluating Dario Saric’s True NBA Potential
Dario Saric plays in the Turkish League for the team Anadolu Efes Istanbul. The rights of Saric for playing in the NBA belong to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Evaluating talent overseas has become a huge part of the NBA as well as the NBA draft scouting process. In the 2014 NBA draft, the Philadelphia 76ers acquired the rights to the Orlando Magic selection at number 12, Dario Saric out of Croatia. In the deal, the 76ers traded their 10 pick, Elfrid Payton, to the Orlando Magic for Saric and a refund of the 76ers first round pick traded in a package for Arnett Moultrie.
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It’s a big question of when or whether he will join the NBA, as noted by my SixerSense colleague Bret Stuter. He is 22 years old now, but still has hinted he wants more seasoning in Europe before playing in the United States. He also must overcome the economic incentives to remain the final year in Europe.
Saric could be as talented a prospect at the four as anyone in this upcoming NBA Draft, being compared to a modern day Toni Kukoc or Hedo Turkoglu.
Since 2012-13, Saric has impressed many scouts and spectators of basketball. At age 20, Saric gained an immense amount of veteran experience of international play, spending two seasons ago at Cibona, in the Adriatic League, while leading his team to the league title. His skill sets, tenacity and smarts are all NBA-ready.
What He Brings To The Table
Key Statistics:
16.7 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.3 spg, 32.9 mpg, .551 2PT, .345 3PT, .681 FT (Adriatic League)
17.6 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 4.3 apg, 1.5 bpg, 29.0 mpg, .624 2PT, .255 3PT, .746 FT (Croatia)
Per 36 Minutes:
| Season | League(s) | G | GS | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | 2P | 2PA | 2P% | FT | FTA | FT% | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 66 | 1602 | 5.6 | 12.1 | .461 | 1.2 | 3.5 | .344 | 4.4 | 8.7 | .508 | 3.1 | 3.9 | .783 | 2.6 | 6.7 | 9.3 | 2.9 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 15.5 | |||
| 2011-12 | Euroleague | 4 | 60 | 1.8 | 9.0 | .200 | 0.6 | 3.6 | .167 | 1.2 | 5.4 | .222 | 0.6 | 1.2 | .500 | 3.0 | 7.8 | 10.8 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 7.2 | 3.6 | 4.8 | |
| 2012-13 | Eurocup | 1 | 17 | 4.2 | 12.7 | .333 | 0.0 | 2.1 | .000 | 4.2 | 10.6 | .400 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.1 | 6.4 | 8.5 | 4.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 6.4 | 8.5 | 8.5 | ||
| 2013-14 | Eurocup | 10 | 328 | 5.5 | 11.3 | .485 | 0.4 | 1.4 | .308 | 5.0 | 9.9 | .511 | 2.7 | 3.5 | .781 | 3.2 | 5.9 | 9.1 | 3.0 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 14.2 | |
| 2014-15 | Euroleague | 27 | 658 | 5.0 | 11.5 | .433 | 1.0 | 3.4 | .306 | 3.9 | 8.1 | .486 | 3.6 | 5.0 | .707 | 2.4 | 7.0 | 9.4 | 3.4 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 2.8 | 3.0 | 14.6 | |
| 2015-16 | Euroleague | 24 | 539 | 6.9 | 13.8 | .500 | 1.9 | 4.8 | .403 | 4.9 | 8.9 | .552 | 3.1 | 3.3 | .939 | 2.4 | 6.8 | 9.2 | 2.3 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 2.4 | 4.1 | 18.8 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Saric’s ability to spread the floor would help the Philadelphia 76ers immediately.
According to DraftExpress:
Last season, adjusted to 36 minutes per game, Saric averaged 18.8 points and made 40 percent of his three-point attempts (Saric converted 29 three-pointers on 72 attempts). The Croatian averaged 11.8 points (22 minutes a game) per game in the Euroleague on a 61 percent true-shooting percentage. Even further, Saric scored 1.06 points per possession/play.
Also, he improved his free throw shooting tremendously. In the 2014-15 Euroleague season, he shot 70 percent (65-of-92) from the free throw line. The next season his percentage increased by 23 to 93 percent (46-of-49). If he can add more muscle to his frame, Saric could easily take advantage at the charity stripe.
The downfall is that he is not a two-way player at the moment, even though he rebounds well (6.3 rebounds average per 23 minutes). At 6-10 223 lbs., Saric needs to add considerable strength to play the four consistently at the next level for the Sixers.
Sixers fan should excited, however, because of his deceptive speed, ball-handling, and shooting.
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He creates match-up difficulties for traditional fours that play more in the paint with strength and size. Saric is a load that very few players can stop. With his high motor, he scores very well in transition, passing, and as well as scoring himself. If the Sixers can hide his man-on-man defensive issues, or develop him further on that end, he could be a really great NBA player: