Figuring Out Dario Saric’s Long Term Role

The Homie has been balling lately — but where does Dario Saric‘s long term role stand alongside Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons?

It took two years for Dario Saric to make his NBA debut. After being dealt to the Sixers as the 12th overall pick in 2014 — a trade that sent the ever-unpredictable Elfrid Payton to Orlando — Saric played two seasons overseas with Anadolu Efes, working up his professional polish while leaving some Sixer fans concerned about at which point he would work his way over to the Americas.

Now, after making that debut in somewhat timely fashion, the 22-year-old Croatian is chugging along at a Rookie of the Year-level pace.

Most rookies hit the oft-mentioned ‘rookie wall’ at some point in their rookie season. After playing sub-40 game seasons with near-week long rest periods at the collegiate level — or in Saric’s case, playing in a reserve role overseas — the 82-game gauntlet that the NBA season presents can wear down younger players as the season moves along.

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That concept, however, has been oddly absent for Philadelphia’s young guns this season. While Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot has seen his playing time come in waves, Joel Embiid was putting up historically unheralded numbers prior to his injury, while Saric has only managed to show improvement as this season has progressed.

What makes that especially impressive for Saric, though, is what he experienced prior to the start of the 2016-17 campaign. Not only did he finish off his rounds overseas, but he also played a massive role on Croatia’s national team in this year’s Olympics. A youngster taking on the newfound workload of the NBA, after already exerting himself to a great extent in the Olympics, is incredibly difficult — and Saric has done so with impressive effectiveness.

In his last 10 games, the Homie is making statistical strides that could land him as the frontrunner for this season’s top rookie award given the aforementioned Embiid’s season-ending meniscus tear.

Over that 10 game span, Saric is tallying 18.5 points per contest, while grabbing 9.1 boards and dishing out an impressive 4.3 assists per game in 31.5 minutes of playing time.

Upon assuming the starting role in lieu of the Ersan Ilyasova trade, Saric — with Embiid off the floor — has been given the opportunity to be ultra-aggressive with the basketball, and has thus been able to work through the ebbs and flows of his game — with the latter coming in far more prolific fashion as of late.

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With that said, though, Saric’s long term role may not be as clear as it currently seems. With both Embiid and Simmons set to take on cornerstone-esque roles come next season, Brett Brown will be forced to figure out the minutia of Saric’s fit with all three on the floor, and then analyze whether or not The Homie genuinely has a starting role for a competitive roster down the road.

The Saric/Simmons Dynamic

The first hurdle in figuring this out is managing the overlap between Saric’s play and that of Ben Simmons. Saric is a much better shooter — and that’s an asset he should only improve upon this offseason — but Simmons excels most with the ball in his hands, dishing off the drive and acting as the de facto point guard in the power forward slot. Saric’s best moments, however, also come when he’s able to handle the ball, whether that’s coming off of handoffs on the elbow or attacking from the perimeter, as he can utilize his vision to find the open cutter at the rim or hit a shooter on the outside.

While both of them could certainly play together — there’s never too much playmaking on the floor, when handled well — there’s certainly reason to believe that Dario may be better off taking on more playing time when Simmons is off the court.

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Offensively, Saric would be relegated mostly to a spot-up shooting roll a la Ilyasova when sharing the floor with Simmons. That limits Saric’s ability to handle the ball at times, phasing out what he himself can do with proper spacing and quality options to pass to. Part of what makes Saric such a dynamic threat is his ability to create for others, and removing that for the sole purpose of forcing the Simmons-Saric dynamic may not be the best game plan.

Maximizing Defensive Effectiveness

There’s also the defensive side of that mix, as Saric has shown his clear-cut limitations on that side of the ball this season. Aside from a handful of nearly inexplicable blocked shots in which Saric channeled his inner Dikembe Mutombo — we’re all looking at you, Rockets — the rookie has been in the beginning stages of his learning curve all season long. He can over-commit at times, and lacks the athleticism and length needed to keep up with some of the more athletic forwards he comes across.

On the other hand, while Simmons does boast a notably high defensive ceiling, he may be more effective as the four man, especially early on in his career. Allowing him to fill the same defensive archetype that Kevin Durant has in Golden State’s death lineup would give him far more freedom to make plays, both in the passing lanes and as a shot blocker, while Embiid’s ever-dominant presence in the post already transforms the Sixers into one of the league’s more formidable defensive groups.

Building Long Term Depth

Leaving the defensive triumvirate of Embiid, Simmons and Robert Covington in the starting group would allow the Sixers to establish a forceful defensive regime out of the gates, while Saric could ideally see his runs with the bench unit surrounded by quality defenders in his own right, among the likes of Richaun Holmes, Justin Anderson, and Luwawu. That takes one weakness out of the starting rotation, while shielding it alongside Saric’s offensive brilliance in the reserve unit.

While this may be viewed as a regression of sorts for Saric’s future prospects, view it more so as a noticeable improvement in Philadelphia’s depth. Dario may not be a starting power forward, but his ability to fill the Simmons stopgap role off the bench while being able to fully embrace his creativity in the second unit could be what allows him to prosper most in a lineup highlighted by two elite prospects in Embiid and Simmons — not to mention their 2017 NBA Draft haul.

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Saric is an incredibly versatile offensive punch to wield in the second unit, and one that can help transform the narrative of this recently-shaky 76ers bench for the foreseeable future. While most fans expect star-level outputs from their lottery hits, Saric’s game is tailor-made to be Brett Brown’s second unit energizer. Backing up the core with endless fist bumps and a whirlwind of playmaking Croatian fun is something I can get behind, and an idea the Sixers should be willing to embrace. It’s not for lack of talent, but rather maximizing fit.