Yes, Philadelphia 76ers Dario Saric is Mr. Dependable

How could the Embiid-less Fultz-less Philadelphia 76ers defeat the Utah Jazz? They needed Dario Saric, and he doesn’t let the team down

The Philadelphia 76ers forward Dario Saric is “Gospodin pouzdan”. That is his native language’s way of saying “Mister Dependable”. And he is, particularly when the team needs him to show up.  But this is nothing new.

But this is nothing new. Many of the 28 wins from a season ago depended upon the nearly Herculean play of Dario Saric.  And that was his rookie season.  Now? He is rapidly becoming both integral and veteran asset to the Philadelphia 76ers lineup. And the team needed both to defeat the Utah Jazz on the road.

I’ll be there…

Now, that is not to say his production has plateaued. Even in the last three games, he had an off-night against the Atlanta Hawks where he simply could not find his shooting range.

In spite of that performance, he is averaging 52.9 percent from three-point range for the month, and 40.9 percent for the year.  That is good enough for fifth place on this roster, and this roster is very good at treys.  But Saric, much like Robert Covington or Ben Simmons, is a unique brand of forward who has mad ball skills and can distribute the ball both comfortably and accurately.  Perhaps that is why the Philadelphia 76ers are second in the NBA in assists per game, behind only the Golden State Warriors.

That is the key to a Brett Brown coached team.  Space Pace and Pass.   With Saric, the team gets a PhD in all three phases.  And that is one helluva rainy-day potential to sit on the bench.

Saric is ever ready

In just ten games, Dario Saric is already the high scorer in one game. In all of the 2017-2018 season, he was the high scorer just once as well.  It appears as though Saric needs the work to get into his groove. And he is getting more work recently.  Subsequently, he is in his groove.

Saric is the anti-controversial element of the team. He is not one to say much negative, as he is truly living his dream of competing in the NBA. But he has not gone without controversy or setbacks either.  In his rookie season, he was supplanted as the starting power forward when Bryan Colangelo dealt for Ersan Ilyasova for Jerami Grant.

Bench, starter? Clutch player…

This season, once more Saric was shown to the bench as the team opted for a starting line-up of Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, Robert Covington, J.J. Redick, and Jerryd Bayless.  But with a wrist injury to Bayless, and load management benching Joel Embiid, Saric is getting more playing time.

Next: NBA Rumors Philadelphia 76ers Jahlil Okafor target of Phoenix Suns

Right now, Saric is just under 10 points per game.  But with his season average three-point shooting at 40.9 percent, he will be over the double digit scoring soon. Besides scoring, Saric brings rebounds, assists, and perimeter shooting to the court. But there is one very important component to Dario Saric. He has played on the international stage in huge games during both his Euroleague and his Olympic playing time.  As the team advances through a good season and the headlines fill with narratives about Embiid, Simmons, Covington, Redick, or even Markelle Fultz, just remember that Dario Saric has a significant role to play on this team too.  And he doesn’t let the team down.  He’s Mr. Dependable.