Top 10 NBA Rookie of the Year Candidates Entering 2016-17

Dario Saric became a Philadelphia 76ers as a result of trading point guard Elfrid Payton. Additionally, the 76ers obtained a second round pick (Richaun Holmes) as well as restored a first round pick the team had dealt in the Bynum era.

Saric spent the next two years playing overseas with Anadolu Efes, and committed to join the NBA after two years. It was that promise to arrive this year that gave so many impatient fans the patience to #TrustTheProcess.

As a fluid stretch four with a high basketball I.Q. and legitimate range on his outside shot, Saric molds well into today’s pace-and-space oriented league.  He also gives the 76ers a level of flexibility they had lacked in the frontcourt in recent years. His ability to polish his game as a professional overseas has helped his stock in terms of debuting NBA-ready.  The injury to Ben Simmons gives Saric the opportunity to start, or solidify a solid role in the rotation.

Saric’s play in the Rio Olympics with Croatia wasn’t the boost of confidence some fans were hoping for. Still, there were certainly positives to look at. While he failed to sink a high percentage of his perimeter shots, he remained a dangerous weapon from outside.  Saric was also more than capable of putting the ball on the floor and creating opportunities off the bounce.

Now that Saric has arrived to the NBA, he needs to build solid consistancy.  He has all the tools to fill in nicely as the offensive utility piece.  Perhaps Saric may eventually emerge as the sharpshooting pass-happy forward his Euroleague videos promised.   In either scenario, he can help boost the Sixers’ offense and defense for years to come.

Philadelphia head coach Brett Brown ran out of time in last season’s attempt to build Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel into complimentary roles.  The experiment failed to generate much successful offense in the paint with two centers manning the middle last season.  Saric’s ability to shoot the ball from the outside and help move the ball is something that could help the offense run much more smoothly, especially given the extra boost of playmaking that has been put around him as well. There is legitimate veteran talent in the rotation, and that sets up Saric to be able to rely in a handful of ways on others in the rotation while still garnering a fairly large chunk of Philadelphia’s game plan.

There has been a lot riding on Saric’s eventual debut in a Sixers uniform, and with Simmons out to kick off the season, it’s difficult to give any reason why Saric shouldn’t be given a bountiful chance to become one of the more integral pieces of a budding rotation in Philly. One of the Sixers’ trio of five-men is likely to be shipped elsewhere at some point as well, which would only open up more room in the rotation for Saric to inevitably make an impact. All in all, a skilled rookie on a not-so-great roster makes Saric a worthy name to mention.