The Sixer Sense
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Dario Saric Reflects on Ersan Ilyasova’s Mentoring This Season

By Josh Wilson

Mar 29, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Dario Saric (9) hugs Atlanta Hawks forward Ersan Ilyasova (7) at the conclusion of the game at Wells Fargo Center. The Atlanta Hawks won 99-92. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 29, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Dario Saric (9) hugs Atlanta Hawks forward Ersan Ilyasova (7) at the conclusion of the game at Wells Fargo Center. The Atlanta Hawks won 99-92. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dario Saric and Ersan Ilyasova faced off in the NBA for the first time on Wednesday night, and it was an interesting dynamic for the duo.

Bryan Colangelo has been criticized highly for a lot of transactional moves he has made at the general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers lately. Many of those criticisms are just, as the moves he made at the trade deadline are not showing any immediate high return for the potential they gave up.

That said, some people have clouded vision, and have forgotten about a move that was, in fact, pretty decent earlier this season. That move was trading Jerami Grant to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Ersan Ilyasova.

Ilyasova was on the last year of his deal, and the Sixers had to give up a fan favorite with a potentially high ceiling, so some fans were turned off at first. The efforts Ilyasova brought to the court right away made most detractors of the deal forget about that, though. The team was struggling in the early weeks of the season, and the addition of Ilyasova, although it seemed small, made a world of difference.

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The other appeal of Ilyasova was the mentoring he could bring to one of the Sixers best youthful pieces — rookie Dario Saric.

Saric came into the NBA this year as a first year NBA player, but not a first year pro. Saric had been playing as a pro athlete overseas for quite some time leading up to this season with the Sixers. Still, the NBA level is much higher than that of other leagues overseas, and even Saric admitted in the early stages that he was having some trouble adjusting. That said, that wasn’t something we should have expected him to excel at right away.

The 3-point line is further away from the rim in the NBA. The level of physicality is higher. The sixth man on an NBA team could often beat the best player from a Euroleague team one-on-one four times out of five.

So when Colangelo traded Grant for Ilyasova, he had something in mind other than right-away, on the floor talent. It was an investment in Saric.

Saric had played in Ilyasova’s home country for two seasons, so the pairing had some things in common. They had played against each other from time to time on their European tours. They had many things in common that created an almost immediate bond, and a sure-fire mentorship between the two.

Saric and Ilyasova faced off for the first time as NBA opponents on Wednesday night, as Ilyasova was traded leading up to this year’s NBA trade deadline to the Atlanta Hawks.

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Ilyasova ended the game with 14 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists in 32 minutes. Saric ended the game with 15 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists in nearly 40 minutes.

Saric had good words to say about what he called his mentor.

“It was nice to see my old teammate, my kind of mentor for me, and he helped me a lot,” Saric said to Marc Narducci.

When asked about the matchup, head coach Brett Brown said it was something he was looking forward to given the history of the players.

"“It was somebody that Dario trusted and respected, and I think that because of that international history. So to see them go head to head, and to see Dario sort of go to a higher level since Ersan has left, I looked forward to that matchup, and I think it was a healthy matchup.”"

Saric has been on a tear as of late. Since the All-Star break ended, Saric has averaged 19.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game.

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Without a doubt, the emergence of Dario Saric in the second portion of the season can be at least partially credited to Ersan Ilyasova’s help developing him and mentoring him. While Ilyasova’s time directly as a Sixers player was short, his impact may be felt for years to come through his work with Saric and Saric’s impact.