By Antigoni Zachari / info@eurohoops.net
Dario Saric suffered a torn ACL in Game 1 of the 2021 NBA Finals against the Milwaukee Bucks, a season-ending injury that took a toll on the Croatian big who still has a long way to return to action.
After undergoing surgery in early August, Saric is on his way to recovery, but it will be a long time before he steps foot on the court. However, he got rid of his crutches two weeks ago and he can finally return to normal activities.
“Getting in the car, starting to drive, too. Feeling happy. Doing some things other than just laying on the couch”, tells Saric per azcentral.com.
At this moment, there is no timetable for his return to action, though based on similar injuries, it could happen late in the 2021-22 season, in about nine months (NBA playoffs begin April 16).
“It’s a situation I have to figure out,” he said. “It’s going to be my decision, personally. I would like to play, but the other part is when you have doctors, you have a medical staff who try to put a little brake on that. Let’s see, that’ll be nine months, feel right. Three months to be ready for the next season or is it worth it to go one more year again. That’s a bigger question than just what I want.”.
For the moment, Saric is “out indefinitely”, per Suns GM James Jones. “We’re going to let it play out. He’s doing well right now, but all those things, until you actually get on the floor and start moving around, and you start playing, it’s just conjecture.”
Prior to his injury, Saric posted 8.7 points, 3.8 rebounds per 14.3 minutes on the court with the Suns in his seventh NBA campaign.