Here's what Dario Saric reportedly joining 76ers means for Philadelphia
It's been reported that Dario Saric will be joining the 76ers next season. Here's a breakdown of why it's important he's doing that next season, and what he can bring to the table for the team.
By
Sam Vecenie
•
3 min read
The 2014 NBA Draft hasn't been kind to the Philadelphia 76ers so far. Despite possessing more draft capital than anyone else, the Sixers have gotten precious little contribution from those picks.
No. 3 overall pick Joel Embiid is yet to play a game due to injury. No. 12 overall pick Dario Saric still has not come over to play for the team. Second round pick K.J. McDaniels was traded after accepting the team's qualifying offer, and the pieces they got for him haven't really panned out well. Really, only Jerami Grant has provided the team with anything that could be tangibly construed as positive, both in the past and future.
However, help is on the way. According to overseas reporter David Pick, Saric has told his teammates in Turkey that he is coming to America next season to play for the Sixers.
Dario Saric, source said, told his teammates he intends to leave Europe for Sixers this offseason.
— David Pick (@IAmDPick) April 24, 2016
To be clear, this isn't necessarily surprising news. From the moment Saric was selected, it was expected that he would spend two years overseas as just days before the draft he signed a deal with Anadolu Efes in Turkey that made his buyout onerous. Also, throughout this period, there hasn't been much in the way of wavering on the part of Saric. An assistant went over to Turkey to check in on Saric earlier this year, and the team came away feeling confident of Saric's plans.
Still though, it's important that he's coming over now for a couple of reasons, even if he won't get to play for the general manager who selected him in Sam Hinkie. First, had Saric stayed overseas for one more year, he would no longer be held to a rookie scale NBA contract and would be able to negotiate a larger deal with the 76ers. Instead of signing a contract this offseason that will be for approximately four years, $11.2 million, it's easy to imagine Saric could have negotiated something in 2017 more in the range of the three-year, $16 million deal Nikola Mirotic signed with the Bulls, especially given that that deal happened before the cap spike.
Beyond the numbers though, the more important matter here is that the Sixers could actually really use Saric.
The 22-year-old has taken a pretty sizable leap forward this season in Turkey in the way of efficiency. He's arguably the second-best player on a team that was just eliminated in the Euroleague's Round of 16, an impressive achievement for a young player facing off against professionals on a nightly basis. Saric is averaging 11.3 points and 5.8 rebounds in 23 minutes per game. He's played 47 games total this season, but he's been more impressive in the more difficult Euroleague competition, posting a top-20 PER and a 61.7 true-shooting percentage.
The 6-foot-9 Saric is expected to be a smallball, playmaking 4 man in the NBA. The most important development in his game this season has been that of his 3-point shot, as he's gone from 32 percent shooter over his last two seasons to a 37.5 percent shooter this season. The ability to threaten from distance will be key to his game, as Saric excels when he can act as a slashing creator, both for himself near the rim and others with his excellent court vision.
Offense really shouldn't be a problem for Saric in the NBA as long as his jump shot continues to improve. Defense could be a bit of a different concern though. Saric is a tough player who rebounds well and won't mind the upgrade in physicality, but he has average length and quickness. The NBA continuing to go small over the last few years will help him a bit, as he's somewhat caught between defensive positions. Still, he'll need to answer those questions over the next couple of years.
Saric's style of play should fit well with the 76ers' roster. Currently, they don't really have anyone that has a well-rounded, polished offensive game to play the 4 role. Robert Covington and Jerami Grant can each provide some interesting looks in that role -- Covington with his floor-spacing, Grant with his athleticism -- but Saric is just a bit more complete than they are, and would likely be able to play with either of them. Even if his game ends up not fully translating to the NBA, at the very least he'll give them a pretty different dimension off the bench that could be valuable when paired with either Jahlil Okafor, Nerlens Noel, or Embiid.
This is a good day for 76ers fans. Their lack of luck from the 2014 NBA Draft may finally be turning around.
