Power Forward: Dario Saric
By: Ryan Callahan
76ers stats:
| Season | Age | Tm | Pos | G | GS | MP | FG% | 3P% | 2P% | eFG% | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-17 | 22 | PHI | PF | 81 | 36 | 26.3 | .411 | .311 | .469 | .468 | .782 | 6.3 | 2.2 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 2.3 | 2.0 | 12.8 |
| 2017-18 | 23 | PHI | PF | 78 | 73 | 29.6 | .453 | .393 | .501 | .541 | .860 | 6.7 | 2.6 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 1.9 | 2.1 | 14.6 |
| 2018-19 | 24 | PHI | PF | 13 | 13 | 30.5 | .364 | .300 | .435 | .443 | .900 | 6.6 | 2.0 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 1.9 | 3.0 | 11.1 |
| 3 seasons | PHI | 172 | 122 | 28.1 | .427 | .351 | .481 | .500 | .825 | 6.5 | 2.4 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 13.5 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/5/2019.
The clear choice for the starting power forward on the All-Time Process roster is 6-foot-10 Croatian, Dario Saric. Also known as The Homie, Saric quickly became a fan-favorite after his debut in 2016. His excellent three-point stroke, solid all-around game and seemingly endless hustle quickly won over the hearts of Sixers fans everywhere.
Saric was acquired on draft day in 2014 in a trade that saw the Sixers send 10th overall pick Elfrid Payton to the Orlando Magic for Saric, a future second round pick and a conditional 2017 first round pick that the Sixers originally gave Orlando in the Dwight Howard trade. After the draft, Saric stated that he would play in Europe for at least one year (he ended up playing two seasons overseas), but promised to one day play in the NBA.
While we patiently waited for his debut, many fans thought that he “would never come over.” While some fans were certainly impatient, he turned out to be well-worth the wait.
In his rookie season, Saric averaged 12.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game and was named the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month in February and March 2017, the only two months that Joel Embiid did not win the award. Saric was also named to the All-Rookie First Team in 2014 and came in second in the Rookie of the Year voting to the Bucks’ Malcolm Brogdon, a topic that Sixers fans are very sensitive about.
Saric improved in his sophomore campaign and was a key piece in the breakout 52-win team that finished with the third best record in the Eastern Conference. He improved across the board, averaging 14.6/6.7/2.6 on 45.3 percent shooting from the field and an impressive 39.3 percent from the 3-point line.
Saric was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Nov. 12th, 2018, along with Robert Covington and Jerryd Bayless in exchange for Jimmy Butler, Justin Patton, and a future second round pick. Coming off the bench and starting for the Wolves, he averaged 10.5 points and 6.2 rebounds per game this past season.
While the trade certainly provoked a lot of emotions in Sixers fans, Saric represented a lot of what “The Process” is about: patience, developing and balling out and letting things go if it is for the betterment of a current situation, even if it hurts.