The Sixer Sense
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Brett Brown Thinks Dario Saric is Further Along Than Ben Simmons

By Josh Wilson

Jun 26, 2014; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Dario Saric (Croatia) shakes hands with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the number twelve overall pick to the Orlando Magic in the 2014 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 26, 2014; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Dario Saric (Croatia) shakes hands with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the number twelve overall pick to the Orlando Magic in the 2014 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Philadelphia 76ers are debuting top overall NBA Draft pick Ben Simmons this season, but Dario Saric, their stashed athlete, may be further along according to Brett Brown.

The Philadelphia 76ers are debuting a ton of new players this year not only for the fans in Philly, but for the fans around the league, as they have four rookies who will take the floor this season. Two of those rookies are Dario Saric and Ben Simmons, both players who have had interesting roadmaps to the NBA.

Saric was drafted in 2014, and was stashed for two seasons overseas in the Turkish professional league. Simmons was drafted this summer first overall by the Sixers.

Just based on how the two players are perceived in the basketball world, and where they seem to be at in terms of their individual skill sets, one would think that Simmons is the better player. That’s not to say that Saric isn’t good and that Saric isn’t an important piece of the Sixers’ franchise, but general knowledge seems to indicate that Simmons is the better player.

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That being said, head coach Brett Brown seems to think that it may be easier to work with Dario Saric because he could actually be further along in his career and developing his skills than Ben Simmons, thanks to his experiences so far.

Speaking to Brian Seltzer on The BroadCast, he had this to say:

"“He’s [Dario Saric] really gifted intellectually, on how to play our spot. I feel like, although his birth certificate, you know, would admit to everybody that he’s still very young, his basketball experience is very old. You know, playing in Euroleague, playing in the professional league in Turkey, representing his country, those are all just high level basketball experiences, far different than say, what Ben [Simmons] experienced in a limited time at LSU. And you watch him, and I think he plays beyond his years.”"

“He really looks like he’s starting to have more of a complete package to his game,” Brown also said. “I’m personally just very, very excited to coach Dario Saric.”

Brown does acknowledge that Saric has some things to work on, however, noting that he needs to maintain his emotion a little bit better at times.

Saric certainly does have a lot more international and professional experience when compared to Ben Simmons, but I would still think that Simmons is the better player, and the player more likely to have a better career. He may not be fully developed, but the tools he’s beginning his NBA career with are just astonishing.

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When it comes to these two players, comparing them is sort of like apples and oranges. The bottom line is that they’re both great young players, two of the best rookies going into this season. It’s incredible that the Sixers get to debut them on one roster, in addition to Joel Embiid and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot this season.