The Sixer Sense
Fansided

How Many Future Stars On Philadelphia 76ers Today?

By Bret Stuter

Jun 24, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers number one overall draft pick Ben Simmons (R) is greeted by center Joel Embiid (L) during a press conference at the Philadelphia College Of Osteopathic Medicine. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 24, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers number one overall draft pick Ben Simmons (R) is greeted by center Joel Embiid (L) during a press conference at the Philadelphia College Of Osteopathic Medicine. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 11
Next

Dario Saric

Height: 6-foot-10
Weight: 245
Wingspan: 6-foot-10

Strengths: Strong physical forward who can play the post, but also set up at the perimeter. He’s versatile, and has very similar skill-sets to Simmons. He can dish the ball, pass coast to coast, and run a physical game.  While he may not have Simmons’ handles, he has a far more sophisticated shot arsenal. He has strong mentality, and can rise to key moments in a basketball game.

Weaknesses: Not quite the same burst speed as Simmons, and that will limit him somewhat in his defensive role. He may have difficulty defending smaller faster players.  In post defense he can be overmatched at times by bigger stronger players.

Fit to Team Scheme: Another excellent fit.  He’s another player whose style blends incredibly well to the Pace Space Pass mantra of the team.  His acumen of transition fast-break passing will generate excellent opportunities for free layups and two-on-one fast breaks.  He can set up at the perimeter or take the charge to the basket for the alley oop. He can even reset by passing out of double teams to the open man.

Platinum Tier Requirement: To play atop the NBA at power forward is a tall order.  The best end up in the neighborhood of 24 points per game, 10 rebounds per game, and 2.0 blocks per game.

Gold Tier Requirement: If he ends up in the top 10% of the league, the numbers drop substantially.  He can achieve gold tier if he scores 17 points per game, hauls in 9 rebounds per game, and blocks 1.5 shots per game.

Silver Tier Requirement: At th3 silver level, he is just at the top 21% of the league, and that gives another drop in the statistics.  At this level, scoring falls to 16 points per game, rebounds at 8 per game, and blocks at 1.3 per game.

Likely tier projection: Gold.  He should be able to achieve the gold tier in three years.  He is leaving the Euroleague averaging 22 minutes per game, 11.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, and .5 blocks per game.  Per 36 minutes, those number jumps to 18.8 points per game, 9.2 rebounds, and .7 blocks.

There will be a period of transition, but Saric has demonstrated steady improvement. His Olympics performance demonstrates just how valuable he can be to this team.B

Next: Player One: Embiid