The Sixer Sense
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How Dario Saric has performed through 20 games

By Michael Bronson

(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)
(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Philadelphia 76ers forward Dario Saric played well enough in his rookie season to be a top contender for Rookie of the Year and through 20 games. How has he fared this year?

Before the 2016-17 season, Dario Saric was a joke used by people that hated the Philadelphia 76ers’ decision to spend years losing to increase their chances of drafting a star by intentionally creating bad teams.

Sam Hinkie’s decision to draft Saric with the knowledge that he would miss two seasons due to a contract he signed to play in Turkey after taking an injured Joel Embiid laid the ground work for his eventual departure as the Sixers general manager, but also became proof that “The Process” was ultimately success.

Saric made the two year wait worth it in his rookie season by averaging 12.8 points, 2.2 assists, and 6.3 rebounds per game. Among rookies that season, Saric was second in points, eighth in assists, and third in rebounds.

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    • Career stats impress

    With 20 games this season and 81 games he played in his rookie season, Saric averages 12.4 points, 2.1 assists, and 6.3 rebounds per game. Compared to other 59 players from the 2014 draft, Saric is one of the 10 best players. He’s eighth in points, 12th in assists, and sixth in rebounds per game among players taken in the 2014 draft.

    Saric didn’t score at least 10 points this season until the Sixers’ sixth game of the season. That coincides with the first game he started this season. Ideally Saric would be the Sixers’ version of Manu Ginobili, a player that is capable of starting but comes off the bench to give his team an huge advantage and could stay on court with the starters in the fourth quarter in crunch time, but he’s currently a much better player when he starts.

    Last season

    Last season Saric averaged 15.1 points, 2.9 assists, and 6.9 rebounds per game when he started. Saric suffered a fairly significant decline during the 2016-17 season when he came off the bench and averaged 4.1 points, 1.1 assists, and 1.1 rebounds less per game than when he starts. This pattern has continued when comparing the averages of the five games Saric came off the bench to the 15 games he started this season.

    Saric is averaging 12.6 points, 1.8 assists, and 6.7 rebounds per game when he starts and declines by 7 points, 0.4 assists, and 2.1 rebounds per game when he comes off the bench.

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    The huge difference between the amount of points Saric scored as a starter compared to how he scores as a player that comes off the bench is likely due to him relying on three-point shots while being a 31.6 percent three-point shooter for his career and a 33.7 percent three-point shooter this season. 41.5 percent of all of Saric’s points this season come from behind the three-point line and his shot usually needs he to hit nothing but net to go in.

    Perimeter shooting work in process

    Having watched Saric play the majority of his games last season and this season, I can’t recall a time he made a three-pointer that touched the rim or backboard and it’s rare that he makes one with a hand in his face. That’s not saying Saric is a bad shooter. But his shot allows no wiggle room in order to go in.  With better players around him, he has more chances to take wide open shots and ensure his shooting motion is perfect.

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    Overall Saric is a having a good season, but whenever Markelle Fultz is ready to join the starting lineup and Saric becomes the Sixers’ sixth man, he needs to drastically improve his three-point shooting or find other was to score effectively.