Hoops Habit
Fansided

The Last Dance: Toni Kukoc still reminds us of Dario Saric

By Derek Hryn

PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 16: Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers high fives Dario Saric #9 against the Miami Heat during Game Two of the first round of the 2018 NBA Playoff at Wells Fargo Center on April 16, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Ben Simmons;Dario Saric
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 16: Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers high fives Dario Saric #9 against the Miami Heat during Game Two of the first round of the 2018 NBA Playoff at Wells Fargo Center on April 16, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Ben Simmons;Dario Saric /
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Philadelphia 76ers (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
Philadelphia 76ers (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) /

Career

Following a 10-72 year in 2015-16, Saric officially signed a two-year, $4.74 million contract to join the Sixers. Despite losing the 2016-17 Rookie of the Year to Malcolm Brogdon, Saric seemed to be worth the wait, showing occasional flashes of brilliance as a stretch-4.

Things were even better in the next season when the roster was finally able to gel. Embiid appeared in 63 games and Ben Simmons was fresh off a foot injury. And in his first active season, Simmons’ intrinsic knowledge of running point guard helped inflate Saric’s numbers. He averaged 14.6 points per night on .453/.393/.860 shooting splits while finishing third on the team for total minutes with 2,310.

Sure, the Sixers were swept in five games by the Boston Celtics in the second round of the 2018 Eastern Conference semifinals, but Saric was rock solid until the end. He, like Kukoc, appeared to be built for a postseason atmosphere, which he put on full display —leading the team in scoring in Game 4, and matching 27 points with Embiid in the Game 5 elimination.

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Obviously Saric’s lone playoff appearance isn’t close to shading Kukoc’s nine, but it was impressive. Here’s a look, on paper, at Kukoc and Saric through each of their first two seasons:

Kukoc:

Saric:

By the numbers, they are difficult to tell apart.

If not for Saric struggling with his shot through the first 13 games of the 2018-19 campaign, and being shipped to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Jimmy Butler, one can only wonder how similar the championship aspirations would’ve been between the two … But alas, the Sixers were hard-pressed to make a move.

Croatia has continued to produce some noteworthy talent over the years. Names such as Mario Hezonja, Dragan Bender, Ivica Zubac, Bojan Bogdanovic and many others have followed to have prosperous NBA careers, but none of them have had to endure the same strain that Kukoc walked into when he joined the Bulls in 1993. In fact, it’s been quite the opposite. The spotlight on international talent in this age of social media is unparalleled.

Still, it’s fair to make the argument that no player in this era has mirrored Kukoc like Saric.