NBA Draft 2013: Croatia’s Dario Saric Player Profile

Dario Saric, SF, Croatia, 6’10”, 223 lbs

2012-13 International Stat Line: (stats courtesy DraftExpress.com)

7.7 points, 36% field goals, 30% 3-point field goals, 50% free throws, 6.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists

The Skinny: 

Dario Saric comes to us out of Croatia and is entering the NBA Draft in his first year of eligibility. He’s a versatile player with some room to grow. Saric comes into the 2013 draft with some good hype surrounding him, but whether he is successful in the NBA is yet to be determined.

Highlights:

At only 19, Dario Saric has some time to grow into his overall game in the NBA. Over the past two years at the Nike Hoops Summit, Saric has shown some promise to be a potential steal in the NBA Draft. He’s a 6’10” small forward with ball-handling skills of a point guard. He can also transition into the power-forward role when needed.

Something about Saric that can be appreciated by NBA scouts is that he has the youth factor as well as some solid talent to build off of. He’s a project, but one that could end up being a solid role player in the NBA. He has pretty decent court vision to help make nifty passes to cutting teammates. He’s confident in his abilities on the court and lead an offense.

Combining his size with a 6’10” wingspan, Saric has an advantage in the rebounding department. He’s physically gifted in that department and uses it to his advantage when need be.

Saric was named the MVP of the European under-18 championships in 2012 after leading Croatia to the championship. Here are some of those highlights:

Weaknesses:

Despite some highlight points, Saric has a lot of growing up to do. Yes, he is only 19 years old, but there are many 19-year-olds in this year’s draft with much more concrete skill than Saric. His shooting is completely erratic. His shooting form is odd, which sometimes causes the ball to drift left or right instead of in a regularly straight motion.

For his size, his shooting percentage is low. Dramatically low. This could be attributed to the fact Saric spends most of his time along the perimeter, taking away most of the easy opportunities men of his size generally have throughout a game. Also, for someone who spends most of his time along the perimeter, shooting only 30 percent from beyond the arc is troubling. These are things that need to be addressed.

Saric is not one of the participants who will be attending the 2013 NBA Draft Combine in Chicago next week, as most foreign players are not invited to such events. NBA scouts will be going off of overseas film and interviews in their decision to draft Saric or not.

Potential Landing Spots:

Dario Saric is one of those who are stuck in the waiting game for the NBA Draft. With so many different opinions on players in the draft (who should go where, etc.,) Saric could be taken early or he could be taken very late. There’s just no way to determine where he will end up. It is unlikely, however, that Saric falls into the second round.

Teams That Make Sense:

Utah Jazz: For a team that narrowly missed the playoffs, the Utah Jazz are a complete mess, especially right now. To simplify things, here’s a list of the unrestricted Jazz free agents this summer: DeMarre Carroll, Randy Foye, Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap, Jamaal Tinsley, Earl Watson, Marvin Williams and Mo Williams.

Utah needs a lot of things. Saric, along with any number of potential draft picks, makes sense for the Jazz. Basically anybody that Jazz can get with any sort of potential to be a solid role player should be a perfect fit for them. Saric is a project, but so are the Jazz. They’re a perfect fit.

Boston Celtics: With so much uncertainty in the futures of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, the Celtics’ youngsters looked to step up their game after the Rajon Rondo injury. The emergence of Jeff Green as a star for the Celtics gives them some leeway in which direction to take. It also makes Pierce a potential trading chip this summer.

Either way, some changes to the roster need to be made. Danny Ainge is a good enough general manager to make the Celtics a contender without Saric being around right away (always a possibility with foreign players). Saric could develop more of a shooting stroke during his time with the Celtics and become a vital part to the future of the franchise.

Overall Synopsis:

Like most other foreign players and every other player in the 2013 NBA Draft, there’s a lot of unknown with Dario Saric. He has the look of a future role player, but some time working on the kinks could make him a star. What will come of his career will be determined by Saric and his future NBA employer.