National Basketball Association

3 Ways the Sixers Can Utilize Dario Saric

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 9:02 p.m. ET

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The Philadelphia 76ers have a unique player in their possession in Dario Saric. How they choose to use him is unknown, but there’s a few possibilities.

When the Philadelphia 76ers drafted Dario Saric in 2014, a lot was uncertain about their future. There was no indication that the team would go one to jam up their center position with three natural big men who were best in the key, and no one knew at the time that the man who orchestrated the trade to get Dario Saric would would resign from his post with the Sixers right in the eye of the rebuilding storm.

Saric was taken by the Sixers in 2014 with their rights to the Orlando Magic’s first-round pick. While he looked like a promising player when selected, his talents were incredibly raw, even though he had been playing in the pros overseas since he was a teenager.

The Sixers and Dario decided it would be best for him to stay overseas for a while as he developed his skills. Dario spent two more seasons in Turkey with the Anadolu Efes. This summer, he signed his first pro contract with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Saric is getting the first opportunity to show the league how well draft-and-stash can work, and show that draft picks like that are worth it, as long as the team is willing to wait.

He’s officially a rookie, but he could potentially be leaps and bounds ahead of other rookies simply because he’s been in the pro system, albeit in a different country, for so long.

The Sixers have a lot of ways they could potentially use Saric.

Oct 6, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Dario Saric (9) in action against the Washington Wizards at Wells Fargo Center. The Washington Wizards 125-119. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

As a shooter

Dario Saric, over his years with the Anadolu Efes since the Sixers drafted him, worked on several parts of his game, but none were nearly as important as the development of his shooting. Saric went from a very average outside shooter to a fairly impressive outside shooter, to being one of the premiere sharpshooters within his league by the time he left the Efes.

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That was exactly the point of stashing Saric overseas. Give him a chance to get high playing time and develop parts of his game such as his shooting. Now, in the NBA, he will be going up against a lengthened 3-point line, but he still has solid range that should translate over to the NBA well.

The Sixers need shooters, especially once Ben Simmons comes back. While we hope that Simmons can develop a jump-shot and a 3-point shot eventually, his masterful passing would be best complimented by shooters surrounding him.

Over the past several seasons, the Sixers have been missing shooters mostly. They have been one of the worst teams in the league when it comes to shooting 3-pointers. Based on the trend of the league, there’s no way to win games without that type of skill. Dario’s confidence will be incredibly valuable for the Sixers.

Simmons, although he may not always be paired with Saric on the court, has an option in Dario to get the ball on the outside and get those higher-value points.

Sep 26, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Dario Saric (9) shoots around during media day at the Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

As a passer

Another thing Dario Saric can do is pass the ball masterfully. While he’s not on the level of Ben Simmons quite yet as a point-forward, he can still generally get the ball places that it needs to go, and he does it better than most other players his size.

His assist numbers last season with the Efes, however, don’t exactly reflect a “master passer.” He only was able to rack up 1.5 assists per game. But based on what we’ve seen from Saric in summer league and the preseason, it’s pretty clear that that’s because the Efes didn’t use him as a passer.

He’s still only averaging 1.3 assists per game in preseason, but the Sixers need to ensure that they use him as a point-forward, and work with him to get the ball moving. Even if he’s not the one getting the assists, if he’s a portion of the offense that is pass-heavy, that is moving the ball around the court and sharing the ball, the Sixers will be set up well, and so will Dario Saric.

Also, having Dario get the roster acclimated to a pass-heavy system, and a pass-heavy forward will help the roster get ready for Simmons. Having a forward act as a point guard of sorts can be confusing for players who have been playing the traditional game for a while can be confusing.

In an article published by CSN Philadelphia, Brown talked about how Simmons and Ben were similar in certain ways, focusing more on the versatility that each of them bring to the table.

“He too has the ability to rebound and lead a break … Ben could do the same thing. They’re obviously different athletes, but from a versatility perspective offensively and defensively, there are some similarities there.”

In the same article, Saric talked about how he can do things like push the ball similar to Simmons, and also sort of took a jab at Simmons and his shooting.

“In some ways we are similar players. But he is faster than me and stronger. He pushes the ball in a fast way, but I can do those things too. Maybe not the same level, but I can do other things. I can shoot the ball, I can play more five-on-five.”

Saric might not ever be able to get to the level of passing ability as Simmons, but he certainly isn’t a one-trick pony on the court.

Oct 6, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown (R) talks with forward Dario Saric (9) during the second quarter against the Washington Wizards at Wells Fargo Center. The Washington Wizards 125-119. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

In either forward slot

Having players who can play in multiple positions is becoming incredibly important to the Sixers, starting this season. They really seem to be set up to be debuting a position-less type of offensive scheme, especially once Simmons is back and healthy.

Saric could fill in as a stretch four in the power forward slot, hitting 3-pointers and pulling out the defense to make room for a big to run the key such as Joel Embiid or Nerlens Noel.

While he would work well as a power forward, and could even run point-forward to an extent, he could also work in the three spot on the roster as well. While he’s not known as the best defensive player by any means, Brett Brown has praised his effort on the defensive end, and with that will certainly come improvements.

Talking to Keith Pompey of Philly.com, Brown talked about how his defense was prideful, similar to his work ethic.

“When I watch him out here [at practice], he really does. He’s a prideful defender. He’s a prideful worker. And that’s just how he’s wired. He’s a pro”

Saric will have to guard the wing if he’s put in as the three, and he may have to show improvement in that area this year. Hopefully, he’s up to that sort of task.

Having a player that can play in two different positions — and have bits and pieces of skills from others — is important for the Sixers moving forward, and being able to count on Saric doing so many different things on the court is going to be great for Philly.

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