Philadelphia 76ers: Ranking first round picks for the past 10 years
3. Dario Saric
Dario Saric was drafted with the 12th pick in the 2014 NBA Draft but didn’t play for the Philadelphia 76ers until the 2016-17 season because of his overseas contract obligations. Despite the late start to his Sixers tenure, Saric was so good that he has earned the third spot in these rankings.
It should be noted, that Saric was originally drafted by the Orlando Magic, but he was traded to the 76ers on draft night for Elfrid Payton (11th pick), 2015 second round pick (Willy Hernangomez), and 2017 first round pick (Landry Shamet).
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During his rookie season, Saric was primarily a bench player, learning behind stretch-four Ersan Ilyasova. It appeared to pay off as Saric become a solid starter for Philly for the rest of his tenure with the franchise.
In the two and a half seasons with the Sixers, he averaged 13.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.4 assists, while shooting 35.1 percent from the floor. Considering the defensive juggernaut the 76ers where for the majority of his tenure, he was easily the weakest defensive player out of the starting five, although he was far from horrendous on that side of the ball.
Eventually, he, Robert Covington and Jerryd Bayless were packaged with a future second round pick to acquire All-Star Jimmy Butler from the Minnesota Timberwolves. Saric was mostly a reserve in Minnesota and was traded in this past draft to the Phoenix Suns where he’s primarily used as a starter.
Saric was a quality starter for Philly during his tenure with the franchise and helped net the Sixers an All-Star level player. Those two facts have earned him the third spot in these rankings.