Sixers forward Dario Saric is representing Croatia well, and pushed them to a victory over Hungary.
The Sixers are watching their second-year forward Dario Saric star once again for the Croatian national team. This time, Eurobasket 2017 is the goal. The tournament has been a prestigious one for a while now, and Saric’s home country is a favorite to win it all.
He was an integral part in their Olympic run last summer, and after an 81-game season, he’s back to playing summer basketball. Saric isn’t alone, as NBA veteran Bojan Bogdanovic carried a bulk of the scoring in Friday morning’s bout against Hungary.
But it Saric’s effectiveness early in the game set the tone, and he showed a consistency and knack to move the ball well throughout the game. His two assists won’t tell the story, but Saric was patient in his shot selection, looking for the open man. He played well defensively down low, something that will need to follow him to the NBA this season.
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He finished the game with 15 points, two rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and three turnovers. Not what you would call his best international performance stat-wise, but his play was a huge part of the 67-58 win over Hungary.
What to look for the rest of the way for Dario Saric is his consistency from outside. It was a newfound improvement for Saric just before his Sixers debut, but his three-point shot has taken immense strides since the day he was drafted. It needs a little more polishing, but his confidence in the outside game should open up unthinkable opportunities.
He won’t be going up against the highest talent in terms of big men, but Saric must show he’s capable of defending the post. With the return of Ben Simmons to the court, Saric must develop a niche if he wants to see more starting minutes. Developing the low-post game on defense should allow for him to fit more fluidly next to Simmons.
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Saric is set to have a breakout year. Coming off the bench, he’ll be a focal point of the second-unit offense. It would be no surprise to hear his name near the top of the list for Sixth Man of the Year, if his role becomes what many envision. Dario Saric is in the midst of huge tournament, but his play could foreshadow what sort of success he’ll have this Sixers season.