3. Dario Saric
Known to many fans as the ‘Homie’, Dario Saric has such a mature all-around game it is sometimes hard to remember the 6-foot-10 forward is just 24 years old.
First, yes, Saric is coming over from his native Croatia to play a third season with the 76ers. His biggest asset might be versatility. He is the ultimate ‘glue’ guy, as whatever the 76ers need at the moment, he will usually figure out a way to provide.
Although the Sixers had more talent than in his rookie year, Saric was able to raise his average in scoring (14.6 from 12.8) rebounds (6.7 from 6.3) and assists (2.6 from 2.2) while cutting down on turnovers (1.9 from 2.3) in his second year.
Durability is also one of Saric’s attributes as he has played 159 out of a possible 164 games the past two years.
The biggest improvement in Saric’s game has been 3-point shooting. After making just 31.1 percent of his 3-point shots as a rookie, Saric boosted that number to 39.3 percentlast season even as he shot more from behind the line (5.1 attempts to 4.2 as rookie).
What he brings most on the court is a hard-nosed attitude, which explains why he is a fan favorite.
This intensity is key to Saric’s game as he is not the most athletically gifted, which hurts him at times on the defensive end.
Saric’s stats are better as a starter but, depending on how Markelle Fultz looks, he will either start at power forward or be the first player off the bench.