Philadelphia 76ers: Dario Saric Limits Dirk Nowitzki in Exhibition, Teases Philadelphia Fans
By Jake Hyman
Dirk Nowitzki is an outlier for European big men in the NBA. He’s the primordial child of a revolution that has positively affected the league and transformed modern-day basketball. Nowitzki isn’t just the face of a franchise in Dallas, he’s the face of international basketball.
Appearing in 13 of the last 14 All-Star games and a former NBA champion, Nowitzki is a Hall of Fame lock. At the latter portion of his career, the German is still splashing buckets (17.3 points per game in 2014-15) and shooting with efficiency (45.9 percent) at 37 years old.
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In a recent exhibition game playing for Germany against Croatia, he went up against a player aspiring to have a similar impact in the NBA. The Philadelphia 76ers‘ Dario Saric matched up against the 7’0″ shaggy behemoth and limited the big man. The significance stems from the fact that the 6’10”, 223-pound Saric is only 21 and has yet to play a minute in the Association.
Max Rappaport of sixers.com articulates the young Croatian’s containment of a future Hall of Famer:
"Nowitzki was held to 11 points on 3-of-9 shooting in Friday’s game, in large part due to the efforts of Saric. And while the young Croatian scored just two points to go along with three rebounds and a pair of assists in Saturday’s rematch, he once again helped shut down Germany’s go-to scorer, holding Nowitzki to just seven points on 2-of-5 shooting while helping Croatia coast to an 80-63 win."
The reason Saric is playing overseas instead of in a Sixers uniform this season comes from a contract from his original team (Anadolu Efes) that requires Saric to be bought out. Dirk also chimed in on Saric potentially being a future competitor after Saric dropped 18 points in a 74-72 Croatia victory Friday per Rappaport.
"“He had a great game, he made some big shots for them, hit some threes,” 13-time NBA All-Star Dirk Nowitzki said of Saric’s performance. When asked if the young forward was ready to make the jump stateside, he was equally enthusiastic. “He plays hard, he’s skilled, and he can shoot, so yeah, sure.”"
Saric doesn’t lack a skill set as a multifaceted talent. He enticed general manager Sam Hinkie enough to trade back in the 2014 NBA Draft despite a controversial, but unique, situation as a contractually obligated player.
Bill Simmons, on air, said he fell in love with Saric at 3 in the morning on YouTube, but Hinkie idealized Saric as an intricate member in his constructed rebuild of the Sixers.
It’s not a particular area of the game that’s attractive about Saric. His propensity to benefit the team in a plethora of ways is going to be a plus and what drives his upside moving forward. Lacking, currently on the Sixers roster is a creator and an effective stretch-4.
Saric can formulate possessions off the dribble. Jab-steps, spin moves and a hop steps paint the picture of a player in control with the ball. Paired with sneaky athleticism, Saric can get to the rim and finish on the break.
He might not be on the physical level of Kristaps Porzingis, who’s a new breed altogether, but gets up the floor. Saric isn’t a banger but converts amongst the trees at times. In 65 games last season for Efes, the Croatian took 70 percent of his shots as two-pointers.
En route to 10.4 points per game on a loaded team that also featured Orlando Magic SG Mario Hezonja, Saric effectively served as a playmaker.
Pairing innate vision with crisp passes, Saric creates for his teammates in the half court and fast break. His assist total dropped from the previous season, per realgm.com, but his turnovers did as well. Flashing no-look passes and tough finds, Saric displayed the ability to facilitate.
Factoring in the rarity of a technically sound passing big man, and Saric becomes more appealing due to a necessity in the Sixers lineup. The Croatian also can step outside the arc as a potential stretch-4 candidate. Philadelphia is currently trying to mold Furkan Aldemir into one, but Saric has repetitions and ability difficult to match for the Turk.
Connecting on a career-high 32.9 percent of looks from deep last season, Saric is carving out a niche lacking throughout the Sixers frontcourt. He’s also proficient cleaning the boards (6.5 rebounds per game in 24.5 minutes) despite the lack of muscle throughout his frame.
Paired with Noel in the frontcourt, the second-year center meshes well with the Croatian, who is much more adept on the offensive end. Noel singlehandedly can transform a defense which plays into both Saric’s and Jahlil Okafor‘s struggles on the less glamorous end. Saric can move decently laterally, he just won’t be confused with Bruce Bowen.
Philadelphia won’t look for him to be their defensive stopper and didn’t draft him for that title. They’re clamoring for Saric to maintain his desirable traits. Liberty Ballers’ Shamus Clancy illustrates this notion by highlighting some of Saric’s positives he embodies:
"Consistency is the key to Saric’s evolution. He’s displayed the ability to facilitate, launch triples, crash the boards, move well without the ball and, to a lesser degree, play adequately on defense."
The optimism for Saric to eventually gel and create a sense of synergy with Philadelphia’s touted youth is rabid. Initially expected to join next season after a two-year stint overseas, his performances of NBA credibility are adding up. Biding time has been the Sixers theme for the past couple of seasons.
Like a fine wine, Saric is crafting his game to a point where he’ll eventually reach peak performance. The thought of adding Dario to the blossoming core of Okafor, Joel Embiid and Noel is salivating for some.
Saric reportedly wanted to be part of the Sixers rebuilding stage featuring brimming talent, but had a no-buyout clause in his contract per Basketball Insiders’ David Pick. Saric’s activity to play in the NBA is also evident in his playing style. His non-stop tendencies and effort translate into hustle points in any league.
Desire isn’t taught and willingness to exert it is an innate ability coaches adore.
Head Coach Brett Brown regularly calls timeouts whenever the team let’s a player effortlessly drive to the basket or a Sixer doesn’t get down the floor on a fast break. Saric also is an outgoing and fiery player but channels emotion into effort.
Barring any roadblocks, Saric’s journey to the 215 could be a prosperous trek and is joining an organization filled with players his age seeking a title. For now, Saric is making headlines across the Atlantic. To eventually create them in the United States is a primary goal for the Sixers organization and their quest to sign the Croatian dynamo.
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