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Olympic NBA Prospect Power Rankings: Knockout Stage

By Matthew Medley

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - AUGUST 07: Dario Saric
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - AUGUST 07: Dario Saric /
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RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – AUGUST 15: Dario Saric of Croatia is challenged by Mantas Kalnietis of Lithuania during a Men’s Basketball Preliminary Round Group B game between Lithuania and Croatia on August 15, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – AUGUST 15: Dario Saric of Croatia is challenged by Mantas Kalnietis of Lithuania during a Men’s Basketball Preliminary Round Group B game between Lithuania and Croatia on August 15, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images) /

1. Dario Saric

Once again, it’s Dario Saric atop our power rankings. The 22-year-old continues to impress and is one of two leaders who pushed Croatia to the top seed of Group B.

Many did not even expect the team to reach the quarterfinals, let alone finish first.

Saric’s highlight reel from Rio will be fun to watch by the time the games are over, but it’s still a work in progress.

Just a few notes include his game-winning block of Pau Gasol’s buzzer beater attempt, flirting with a triple-double against Argentina, and an 18-point performance in his team’s win over Lithuania to clinch first place in Group B.

Keep in mind, this is a 6-foot-10 power forward, passing for 18 assists in five games. Most of his assists came in the team’s first two games, but he made a huge impact in each of Croatia’s three wins, doing a little bit of everything.

Saric played an average of 33.7 minutes per game, most recently playing 38 against Lithuania.

Olympic games are only 40 minutes long.

The Philadelphia 76ers prospect leads all players in minutes logged in Rio, proving he belongs on the court alongside some of the world’s best players.

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    • As mentioned earlier, Croatia vs. Serbia is an evenly matched contest even though it features a first seed vs. a fourth seed.

    We’ve seen Croatia have bad games, like the one against Nigeria, which was Saric’s worst outing of the tournament.

    Croatia is not known for its depth (hence the reason why Saric is playing 33 plus minutes per game) and it appears the team can go as far as its stars will take it.

    Serbia has a relatively deep team, but a few of its best players are young, including Nikola Jokic and Bogdan Bogdanovic.

    The Bogdan vs. Bojan matchup alone make this an interesting game, but Saric will be going up against a tough frontcourt, made up of Jokic and Miroslav Raduljica.

    By the time we release our next Olympic NBA Prospect Power Rankings, either Bogdan or Dario will be eliminated from the field.

    Those two have the chance to lead their teams to the semifinals and potentially earn a medal, something that few people expected from either nation before the tournament began.

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    We’ll be back with our quarterfinal rankings on Thursday, Aug. 18 and there’s a chance that several of the six players listed in these rankings will be out of contention. Check back to see who’s still standing.