Dario Saric deserves discussion as champion caliber component

Dario Saric is a blue-collar player who delivers daily. Despite the spotlight on his teammates, his workhorse production is a key component to any success for the Philadelphia 76ers

Philadelphia 76ers power forward Dario Saric gives 100 percent day in and day out. In the 2016-2017 season, he played 81 of 82 games, and was the biggest reason for the team winning 28 games last season. This year, he’s played 68 of 69 games, improved his scoring by 2.1 points per game, improved his rebounding by .6 rebounds per game, and upped his three point shot from 31 percent to nearly 40 percent.

He’s hot on field goals, deadly accurate from the free-throw line, and tosses out assists, steals, and blocks. He is one of the most versatile players on the team. And he has earned the respect, admiration, and love of the Philadelphia 76ers fans.

Champion rosters need more than three players

So when I wrote a story about three championship caliber players on the roster, those fans politely let me know that I overlooked the guy so many overlook. And they weren’t happy about it.  And I have to admit, they are right. Dario Saric deserves to be in the discussion as a champion caliber player.  But it was never my intention to slight any player on the roster. The true purpose of the article is the vision of great things for the Philadelphia 76ers teams next season and beyond.

The 2017-2018 season already has more victories than the previous two seasons combined. And with that, this is all unexplored territory. And with overshooting the mark, there are many good reasons why discussing just how good will this team become is the right thing to do right now.  But looking ahead must also include “how did we get here?” in the narrative. Let’s fix that now.

His word is his bond

One of the most fascinating aspects of the entire NBA is this willingness and ability of young men from around the globe to pack up and come to the United States to pursure their dreams of playing professional basketball here.  That’s a huge change for young men in any profession.

But for the professional athlete, the presumption is that there are no distractions.  And that’s just the culture shock. But the Saric family standard is far above that. Dario Saric committed to arrive to the NBA after two seasons.  And despite millions of economic reasons to stay overseas, he came.

Two years too long to wait for most teams

After all, he gave his word.  He promised to come to the NBA when the Philadelphia 76ers traded with the Orlando Magic.  The 76ers gave up  their 10th pick – point guard Elfrid Payton – for the Magic’s 12th pick – power forward Dario Saric – and the 2017 first round pick traded away for Andrew Bynum, and the 2015 second round pick which delivered Richaun Holmes.  The trade was so spectacular that it deserves to be revisited.  Payton now plays for the Phoenix Suns.

Saric plays for the Philadelphia 76ers. And he plays very well indeed. But first, he honored his commitment to Euroleague team Anadolu Efes. Two years stashed overseas fit the Philadelphia 76ers timetable perfectly.

2014 two-year redshirted players

The Philadelphia 76ers had the presence of mind in that 2014 NBA Draft to work the entire board. Which was awfully hard to do, considering the team had just selected Joel Embiid with the third pick of the 2014 NBA Draft. Embiid and Saric were two top-ten players on the Philadelphia 76ers draft board. But knowing how eager the Magic sat in hopes to get Payton, the team converted Payton into Saric and multiple picks. Quite a coup.

But that draft was not the only common thread between Embiid and Saric.  Both players did not make their NBA debut for two years. Their debut in 2016 coincided with the team drafting Ben Simmons. If not for Simmons foot injury, that would have been a memorable season.

Saric solos season

As it turned out, Simmons sat out the entire season. Embiid injured his knee and shut down after 31 games. Dario Saric continued to play,  He ended the season with 12.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists on 41.1 percent shooting from the floor.

Saric played 81 games but only started 36.  The team realized how shallow their roster was at power forward, traded for Ersan Ilyasova to absorb starts and let Saric acclimate to NBA basketball. The experiment worked so well that the team traded Ilyasova to the Atlanta Hawks at the 2017 Trade Deadline and handed the keys over to Saric to end out the season as the starter. He responded by averaging 17.0 points in February, and 18.4 points in March.

Saric play got Simmons PG look

Had Saric struggled at the four, Simmons may have started the 2017-2018 season as the point forward. But it turned out that the Philadelphia 76ers coaches like Saric at the four and Simmons at the one. Early in the season, the team began to play the pair simultaneously.   Surprisingly, that pairing works for all the wrong reasons.

Simmons is a ball handler whose game is the inverse of that huge size. He works the boards, makes incredible drives, and cuts to the basket well. Saric is the same size, but he can set up at the perimeter and let fly. And with Simmons cutting to the basket, passing out to Saric at the arc becomes awfully effective.

Saric simulates Simmons

And unique. Simmons is a genius with the ball in his hands. Saric is Mister Dependable. Together they make a great version of Yin and Yang. While the duo and compliment one another on the court, Saric can emulate Simmons when Simmons rests on the bench. That level of versatility is as rare as a 6-foot-10 point guard. And as the team starts to parse players into “must sign”, “sign at right price”, or “don’t sign” categories, it’s important to acknowledge that unique value Saric brings to the Philadelphia 76ers.

But there are questions about Saric’s ability to remain an NBA starter. While Saric has rapidly improved his offense, the defense continues to lag, particularly when switching off and attempting to defend fast twitchy guards. Either he gives them too much cushion to defend driving to the basket. Or he closes in too far, and they scoot past him for easy layups.  The team may have a fix in the works as Markelle Fultz starts to play. Still, the team could demote Saric to the bench in hopes that he can lead the team’s bench offense as a premier sixth-man.

Don’t off his offense

But whatever the team may consider, it must do so slowly. The impact of Dario Saric on the scoreboard should not be ignored. He is averaging over 16 points a game, and his three-point shot is nearly at 50 percent in recent months. That’s not the kind of offense you bench, even less likely on the stretch run for the first playoff appearance in five years.

Saric, just like Embiid, Simmons and Fultz, is still so very new in the NBA. This is just his second season.  With his cool calm and collected demeanor, he is easily confused with an eight-year veteran. So it should not come to anyone’s surprise just how well he’s improved from just one year ago. Not only is he improving raw numbers, but his accuracy is substantially improved as well.  He is a significant contributor to this team, and his upside is vast. After all, how high can a player in his second year improve his game?

Next: Belinelli, McConnell will be huge in determining Sixers’ playoff success

Huge play in huge moments

Some players just play bigger in huge game situations. Dario Saric is one such player. If the game is on the line and only one Philadelphia 76ers player can make that winning play, I’m good if that is Saric. He showed up huge in the Olympics. He showed up huge to close out the season last year. It’s who he is and who he will always be.  He plays basketball hard.

And that’s the way Philly wants basketball to be played.  In the end, a guy who works hard, improves, and doesn’t live for the spotlight will tug at Philadelphia fans heartstrings. After all, this is a blue collar city and they appreciate hard effort most of all. So yes, Dario Saric deserves to be included in any discussions about an NBA Championship in Philadelphia. After all, he’s the most likely player to sink the winning shot.