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Philadelphia 76ers: Progression Of Dario Saric Heading Into Rio Olympics

By George Kondoleon

Oct 6, 2015; Rio de Janeiro, BRA; Carioca Arena 1 which will hold basketball competition at the Barra Olympic Park seen during a venue tour in the Rio 2016 world press briefing. Mandatory Credit: Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 6, 2015; Rio de Janeiro, BRA; Carioca Arena 1 which will hold basketball competition at the Barra Olympic Park seen during a venue tour in the Rio 2016 world press briefing. Mandatory Credit: Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports /
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After winning the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Italy, Dario Saric once again emphasized that he will be joining the Philadelphia 76ers this summer.

The Philadelphia 76ers continue to strike good news. 2014 draft pick Dario Saric (acquired in a trade to the Orlando Magic for Elfrid Payton) has committed himself to the Philadelphia 76ers and says he will join the team to watch them play in summer league.

The statement came after a huge victory over the Italian national team, which sent Croatia basketball to the 2016 Rio Olympics. The team was pushed by Saric the entire way, earning himself the title as MVP of the tournament.

The Philadelphia 76ers will finally be able to see their coveted forward on an NBA court, and they’re getting a much more polished player than what they would’ve gotten in 2014-15 or even 2015-16.

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The 22-year old Saric has clearly found his stride and becoming a more offensive well-rounded player and somewhat serviceable on defense. Naturally Saric looks bigger and plays bigger since the days leading up to that 2014 NBA Draft, which he now uses to his advantage. After a 2014-15 season where he struggled to find minutes for Anadolu Efes, Saric exploded and became the focal point of the offense leading the team to Euro prominence as one of the most feared teams in all of Europe.

With Croatia, Saric’s role also saw a major increase. It seems that Croatia’s once guard focused offense have turned into allowing Saric create the offense in multitudes of ways, and that has found them a heightened level of success.

To fully grasp Saric’s progression over the years, you can look as recently as September’s EuroBasket 2015, where Croatia fell to Greece in the group stage. Then, compare that to the Olympic Qualifying Tournament semifinals, where Saric almost single-handedly led the team to a close victory.

Saric played well in that EuroBasket game, as Croatia jumped out to a double digit lead, but as Greece charged back Saric started to collapse. In the pivotal moments of the game, Saric had two costly turnovers that helped Greece push towards a victory. Along with that, Saric struggled to stay in front of anyone on defense, let alone Greek star Giannis Antetokounmpo. Even on offense, although he produced good numbers, often cluttered around the ball and was not making the correct cuts to the basket. This came directly after a summer where his relationship with the Philadelphia 76ers and if he’ll come over on the rookie scale was in question.

Fast forward 10 months, Saric managed to make Antetokounmpo a non-factor with great inside defense, he’s more patient with the ball in his hands, and found ways to get open. The 22-year old is playing basketball like a seasoned vet, hitting turnaround jumpers and making smart passes in tight games. Saric has flourished and led his team to the Olympics, and in doing so is making himself a more attractive option for the Philadelphia 76ers.

Saric is a scorer. If his defense can develop into a positive, the Philadelphia 76ers could tinker with lineups that would include Ben Simmons, Saric, and Joel Embiid/Nerlens Noel and play an ultimate version of tall ball. Saric continues to excel in transition and his outside shooting is developing into a special asset, meaning he will be easier to pair up next to the current Philadelphia 76ers prospects.

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Dario Saric will now stand to lead Croatia towards a medal. Hopefully the tournament shakes out in a way where the world will get to see Saric square up against Spain or USA, and seeing him compete against the top talent in the world. Thanks to draft and stash, the Philadelphia 76ers are now given a polished and developed basketball player who holds very good upside.

Saric’s numbers tell us some of the story, but watching his games now compared to the past should make anyone excited about what he could bring to the Philadelphia 76ers.