Sixers’ Top 5 Moments of 2016

Dario Saric Announces He Will Play For The Sixers

One of the criticisms of the process was drafting players that were either stash players or players that battled through initial injury.

Dario Saric was one of those criticisms. After being drafted in 2014, he spent two seasons playing for Anadolu Efes, where his talent developed him into becoming an NBA ready prospect. Many questioned if he’d ever come to the States to play for the Sixers, but through it all Saric was committed to coming to Philadelphia after two seasons.

In June of 2016, Saric announced he was going to play for the Sixers the coming season. Still, there were some doubts by many clinging to the hope of some criticism of this revolutionary rebuild. That died down when Saric’s Olympic qualifying performance was followed by an announcement that he is signing with the Sixers.

Saric’s arrival brought a new excitement. His passing abilities in transition and his outside shot made him seem compatible with almost any Sixers big man. His rookie season has entailed expected struggles, but overall Saric has been one of the top rookies in this weak 2016-17 class.

Saric has always been a forgotten piece to this puzzle, but the team finally gets to see a versatile building block ignite the rebuild. Another part of a packed front court, Saric must maintain a steady scoring output to remain in favor for playing time.

Even if his announcement of coming to the Sixers leads to a career of a backup big man, it was yet another marker in the turn of the clock in this rebuild. It’s hard not to notice the different amounts of progression the team has seen in roster building in the summer of 2016.