It wasn’t even two months ago that Philadelphia 76ers draft night prize Dario Saric was at odds with his team in Turkey. How quickly things can change. The Anadolu Efes forward has been named Euroleague MVP for the month of November, becoming the award’s youngest honoree ever at 20 years-old.
Saric was drafted 12th overall by the Orlando Magic in June, but was immediately traded to Philly for the rights to Elfrid Payton. The Croation signed a two-year deal containing no opt-out clause with Anadolu Efes just days before the draft, preventing him from coming stateside until 2016-2017 at the earliest. Tension between player and team almost boiled over in early October, though, when his father stated publicly that Saric was unhappy due to a lack of playing time.
Obviously, that’s all in the past now. The 6-10 Saric averaged 15.5 points and 7.7 rebounds per game in just 24.5 minutes per game while shooting 61 percent on two-pointers and 56.1 percent overall. Efes was one of only six Euroleague teams that won at least three games in November, going 3-1 despite playing without injured former NBA big man Nenad Krstic.
Saric wowed at times playing for Croatia during the FIBA World Cup in September, going for 11.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game on solid efficiency. He flashed the point forward potential that had so many scouts drooling leading up to the draft, too:
This is a catch-22 for the Sixers. There was a slight chance given his early season unhappiness that Saric could have worked a buyout with Efes which would have allowed him to come to Philly early. Now that he’s enjoying so much success, that possibility is near non-existent.
But it’s certainly encouraging for the Sixers’ long-term future that the youngster is enjoying unprecedented success for players his age. Perhaps in two seasons, Saric will join an upstart Philadelphia team led by Nerlens Noel, Michael Carter-Williams, and Joel Embiid that has legitimate playoff dream, and is counting on his rookie year impact to make them become a reality.
What do you think?
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