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

Overall

Saric’s impact on both ends of the court has waxed and waned. In two full seasons with the Sixers, he averaged 13.7 points, 2.4 assists and 6.5 rebounds per game. In the last two with the Timberwolves and Phoenix Suns, those numbers have dropped to 10.3 points, 1.7 assists and 5.7 rebounds. His team situation now is clearly different, and so is the win/loss column. The Suns have granted him 24.8 minutes of action this season, which is 1.7 less than his career average.

At this point, it’s hard to say what’s more painful … No more of The Last Dance this Sunday night, or the fact that a 26-year-old Saric is playing for the 26-39 Phoenix Suns because of a “star hunting” plan that ultimately failed for the Philadelphia 76ers. But what exactly was it about Dario?

Was it the down-home fervor he brought while wearing the red, white and blue on a nightly basis? The grit? The toughness diving on the floor for loose balls and mixing it up in the paint? Or, does it go all the way back to the feeling of elation amongst fans that he was eventually “coming over” during the Sixers’ grueling rebuild?

No matter how you slice it, in Philly, “The Homie” is sorely missed.