By Eurohopes
Croatian talent Dario Saric (’94) shocked entire basketball world withdrawing from the 2013 NBA Draft. So instead of preparing for the Summer League, he opted to represent his country at World Championships U19 in Prague, Czech Republic. After the Preliminary Round Croatia holds 2-1 record, whilst Saric is the most dominant player.
Due to absence of injured Mario Hezonja (’95), Saric has to lead Croatia by himself. Because of his talent, Balkan country - together with neighbor Serbia - is considered as a main favorite to upset unbeaten and phenomenal USA team. After three games Saric is averaging 23 points, 13.7 rebounds and 7 assists, leading his team all the way.
Standing at 6-foot-10, Saric was described as a combo-forward, but that no longer appears appropriate. Having faced such demanding and competitive opponents, he struggled to contain more athletic wings on the perimeter and it seems that mainly due to his defensive shortcomings, Saric will be forced to play exclusively at the PF spot down the road, particularly in the NBA.
Compared to previous years Saric bulked his upper body up, however he still needs to fill his frame out, because lack of legit strength limits him at the rim. With that said, Saric is not an elite athlete by European standards with only average explosiveness, however he’s fluid and quite mobile, doing a great job playing at different speeds. Given his size Saric shows terrific ball-handling, often bringing the ball up the court. He possesses terrific body control, balance and fluidity, keeping his man guessing and getting to the line at a high rate. The Croat would have been one of the best passing big men in this year’s draft with his tremendous court-vision and ability to create off the bounce, nevertheless, Saric appears sometimes careless and has to cut down on his turnovers. His feel to the game and level of its understanding is off the charts for a 19-year-old, however he still has some room to improve it with better understanding of spacing and positioning at the highest level.
Throughout his rookie season, Saric has been struggling with his shot selection, often taking risky touches and rushing his release. Mechanics and follow-through on his jump shots leave much to be desired, nevertheless he’s fine in either catch-and-shoot or off-the-dribble situations from midrange. Anyway, with a view to the league, Saric needs to add a consistent three-pointer to his repertoire, to stretch the defense and make the best use of his face-up game.
Defensively is the aspect where Saric would struggle the most translating his game to the NBA. In Adriatic League he was simply unable to deny dribble penetrations from perimeter, often getting beaten off the dribble by more athletic wings. The Croat appears somehow heavy on his feet and given his only average lateral quickness it would be a long shot for him to develop into a lock-down defender on both wing positions. On the other had, Saric holds his own inside the paint, often facing stronger and more experienced big men. He took advantage of his smartness, quick hands and anticipation, staying active on passing line and controlling the defensive glass with great footwork and positioning.
Photo: FIBA
