By George Efkarpidis/ info@eurohoops.net
Stars need a good supporting cast and effective perimeter shooting is a necessity in today’s day and age.
Dario Saric has been a perfect fit and he may very well be one of the X-factors as the Sixers look to make a deep playoff run.
The second year-man out of Croatia has improved in every statistical category since his rookie campaign and more has shown flashes of what former GM Sam Hinkie envisioned when he drafted him.
Saric has 13 double-doubles including six of at least 20 points and 10 rebounds.
On the season, he’s averaging 2.0 makes from beyond the arc while shooting it at 39%.
He’s an excellent cutter without the basketball, has great vision and even though he only averages 2.6 assists per game most of them make the top plays of the night.
| Season | MP | FG% | 3P | 3P% | FT% | RB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS |
| 2016-17 | 26.3 | .411 | 1.3 | .311 | .782 | 6.3 | 2.2 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 12.8 |
| 2017-18 | 29.6 | .453 | 2.01 | .393 | .860 | 6.7 | 2.6 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 15.1 |
Hence, Saric perfectly fits the description of the modern position-less NBA due to his all-around offensive game and his ability to switch on the defensive end without creating a mismatch.
More importantly, Saric has been asked to step up in Embiid’s absence and has done just that.
Even though he’s a sophomore in the NBA, Saric has playoff experience from the Euroleague and with the all-star center potentially missing game one this Sunday, Saric will have a heavy workload on offense and defense.
It hasn’t been an easy path to success for one of the most talented young European players in the world.
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