Philadelphia 76ers unsung hero Dario Saric

In the midst of the heated competitiveness of Philadelphia 76ers game three, Dario Saric seemed angry all game. But if that is the case, he’s always angry, as he is the Philadelphia 76ers scoring leader in the playoffs.

Game three of the Philadelphia 76ers first NBA Playoffs in years was a solid test for the team. I watched the game three times last night (real time, rebroadcast, and recorded) and tried to refocus my overall impression. I concluded three observations which proved true in all three viewings.  Not the end all of what I saw, but the top three things to jump out at me.

First of all, the Philadelphia 76ers defense needs Joel Embiid. When he plays, the Miami Heat had no real answer for points near the basket. Secondly, head coach Brett Brown played Justin Anderson and T.J. McConnell. While neither led the team in stats, both play with a fire that matches up incredibly well against the heat. Thirdly, Dario Saric seemed to play angry.  Fuming. Like he was upset at the world. Oh, and one other thing. Angry Dario Saric can play incredible basketball.

Dario does clutch basketball

Who leads the Philadelphia 76ers in scoring in the playoffs so far?  Dario Saric who in three games has 64 points. Who is the most accurate shot-maker from three-point range? Dario Saric again with 47.8 percent from the perimeter.  But he’s also pulling down 7.0 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, he’s dishing out 3.3 assists. On top of that, he’s picking up 1.33 steals per game. That’s quite a lot. So you might expect lots of headliners covering his accomplishments.

But all the while, when the game summaries come out, you will read about Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, Marco Belinelli, Ersan Ilyasova, J.J. Redick, and Robert Covington. Somehow, through all the “attaboys” and accolades, Dario Saric does not get his time in the spotlight.

The accolades Dario earned so far

Can I change that? Doubtful. But I can show an example of why he deserves serious accolades. Saric is a big man with back court skill sets. He is a shade less of what Ben Simmons can do with the basketball. But he has a sweet three-point shot he loves to use.

Dario Saric triggers immense fan support in Philadelphia. Philly fans are intelligent. Unlike many fan bases, most Sixers fans check out the game for themselves. They see the play, and then go to the stats. And the fans in Philly LOVE hard work and effort. Dario delivers all of that, and more.

21,  23,  20

Dario Saric has scored over 20 points in each of the three games against the Miami Heat. That is in his first three NBA Playoff games.  Who could have known he would be this good? He had that reputation before arriving to Philadelphia. He played on the Croatian national team for the Olympics, and his accomplishments encouraged fans eager to see him play for the Philadelphia 76ers.  But who could have guessed that in the 2014 NBA Draft?

Well, likely the team executive who drafted him, and the coach who trained him. After all, Dario Saric was a masterful execution of a draft day trade which resulted in a huge haul for the Philadelphia 76ers. The team needed a power forward with a perimeter shot. And now, Saric is shooting NBA Playoff treys at nearly a 50 percent clip.

Bombs away!

A front court big with a soft touch on three-point shots has one option in the NBA Playoffs. Hit three-point shots. So that is what Dario Saric does.

Dario does deliver clutch NBA Basketball, just like we knew he would. Dario Saric is that blue collar Philly style basketball that can play against skilled teams, but also, can get into the Miami mud and play that physical style of basketball.  With him on the court, Miami runs out of defenders.

The Philadelphia 76ers plan is coming together

Don’t you just love it when a plan starts coming together? I mean, until late in the season, the pieces of the Philadelphia 76ers seemed out of sync. Then, the winning streak happens. Then game three. And the entire team feels choreographed. Embiid defending the basket, Covington defending the perimeter, Simmons running the offense, Redick and Belinelli shooting circus-treys. And Dario Saric doing about everything listed above, and anything not listed.

Does just about everything well pretty much sums up what Dario brings to the Sixers each night.

More versatile = more success

Versatility is an oft-used term. If a power forward is suddenly forced into service as the center, he earns the label “versatile”, even if he has no clue how to play center. But the Philadelphia 76ers have embraced versatility in a new way. With the sport taking on so many screens, picks, and switch offs, the team with more players capable of handling multiple roles gets a huge advantage.

Next: Markelle Fultz might be out of the playoff rotation

Right now, that appears to be Philadelphia. And Dario Saric is a huge reason. Dario Saric is not a shut down defender. In fact, he’s not the fastest player on the basketball court. And he’s not even the top scorer of the NBA. But he’s good in most categories. And in the modern NBA, he gives the 76ers an advantage in one or several categories. Right now, Miami doesn’t have an effective answer for the scoring of Dario Saric. That is just fine with the fans of the Philadelphia 76ers.