The Sixer Sense
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Dario Saric can emulate Ben Simmons off the bench

By Christopher Kline

PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 30: Dario Saric #9 of the Philadelphia 76ers passes the ball off of Willie Cauley-Stein #00 of the Sacramento Kings in the fourth quarter at the Wells Fargo Center on January 30, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 76ers defeated the Kings 122-119. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 30: Dario Saric #9 of the Philadelphia 76ers passes the ball off of Willie Cauley-Stein #00 of the Sacramento Kings in the fourth quarter at the Wells Fargo Center on January 30, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 76ers defeated the Kings 122-119. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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Dario Saric will likely come off the bench for the Philadelphia 76ers, and that means he’ll be asked to do more as the second unit’s main catalyst.

The Philadelphia 76ers‘ rotation will look a lot different on opening night than it did last season. Rather than surrounding Joel Embiid and Dario Saric with positional stopgaps and a limited bench, Embiid will be joined by two No. 1 picks and a premium free agent, while Saric will find himself pushed into a sixth man role.

Saric’s new role is a sign of just how rapid the Sixers’ impending ascension may be. He was one of the Rookie of the Year frontrunners last season, showcasing scoring promise at all three levels and giving us the occasional glimpse of passing vision that made him such a coveted prospect coming out of Croatia. He’d be the starting power forward on a lot of respectable NBA teams, and Philadelphia shouldn’t hesitate much with relegating him to a reserve role.

Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia 76ers /

Philadelphia 76ers

Just because his role is smaller on paper, however, doesn’t mean Saric’s importance is in any way diminished. He’ll be the unequivocal head of an increasingly deep second unit in Philadelphia, giving him the control needed to expand his production while affording him the talent needed to do.

At 6-foot-10, Saric brings a lot of versatility to the floor. He’s an iffy defender at best, but his bullish frame and advanced skill set gives him the ability to produce in a number of different ways. He has shown himself apt as the primary ball handler on occasion, while his shooting showed some potential signs of growth during his most recent EuroBasket run. If he’s able to work both on and off the ball at a high level, Brett Brown’s ability to tailor his lineups to Saric’s matchups increases tenfold.

Instincts were something Saric both excelled in and struggled with last season. He has plenty of feel as a passer, but there were still times where it felt like he rushed into plays and made ill-advised decisions. As he gears up for his second NBA season, another leap forward in that department could drastically improve his effectiveness and his efficiency.

Aside from giving him the ball and allowing him to run freely against second unit defenses, Brett Brown can also use Saric to help maintain continuity between the first and second units — by playing him like Ben Simmons. That allows Brown to insert Saric in with the first unit players and Simmons in with the second unit players, all while avoiding any systematic complications between the two sides. It opens up Brown’s options and makes things easier on team at the same time.

Saric clearly isn’t Simmons, as he lacks the explosive athleticism and unheralded vision that has made Simmons the most highly-touted first round pick since arguably LeBron James. With that said, he does have the playmaking prowess, ball control skills and the size needed to fill a similar niche — and run the many of the same plays.

Brown can base countless pick-and-rolls and dribble handoffs around Saric in multiple different capacities, and virtually every potential option would work to some extent. He isn’t a pure point guard talent in the same sense as Simmons, but his ability to attack off the bounce and probe his way through the defense in search of plays brings more than enough value to Philadelphia’s second unit.

It’s rare that you get a plus rebounder, high-level scorer and a capable playmaker at 6-foot-10. It’s even rarer to get that off the bench. Defensive flaws and some subtle deficiencies in his game might keep Saric from full-blown stardom, but he’s the type of talent that could elevate the Sixers’ second unit to an entirely different level.

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This is the year we see the Sixers striving for the playoffs — and the versatility Saric provides off the bench will be a significant part of their potential success.