Dario Saric: 81
While I still claim Covington as the Sixers’ third-best player, Saric might be taking over that label soon (if he hasn’t already). The only problem is that he doesn’t have the same value as the other starters. He doesn’t get to showcase the full extent of his skill set either.
Saric is probably better at basketball than J.J. Redick, but the latter’s off-ball movement and knockdown shooting opens up more for the Sixers’ offense. Even if Saric is better, Brett Brown has more sets devoted to getting Redick open or leveraging his gravity as a shooter. And that’s the right approach.
On top of that, Saric was highly-touted as a playmaker with Anadolu Efes — not a shooter. With Simmons and Embiid controlling the offense, Saric doesn’t get to unleash the flashy passes that launched him into the lottery discussion years ago. One of his best traits is marginalized, and there isn’t much he (or the Sixers) can do about it.
Being a defensive liability also hurts Saric’s stock in some circles. He just isn’t athletic enough to defend in space or contain bigger bodies on the block, regardless of how hard he tries. That might bump his 2K rating down some.
Nonetheless, I feel like talent wins out here. Saric gets a slight bump over Redick and Covington, even if the others are presently more important to the Sixers’ team construct. That’s also why I think (a healthy version of) Fultz should replace Saric, not Redick, in the starting five. But that’s an argument for another day.