Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown thinks very highly of Croatian rookie Dario Saric, he tells Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly:
“He sort of contradicts his birth certificate in that his basketball experiences are rich,” Brown said Thursday at his annual media luncheon. “He’s not a kid. He’s no kid. He’s 22, but he’s no kid.”
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“He’s played in the EuroLeague,” Brown said. “He’s played in the Turkish National League, one of the top three leagues … he played a prominent role throughout Rio de Janeiro.”
Brown makes a good point. Saric, who began his professional career at the age of 15, has more pro experience than your typical 22-year-old.
Saric, who the Sixers drafted 12th overall back in 2014, is set to — at long last — make his long-anticipated NBA debut this season.
Brown also spoke with Camerato about how Saric will fit with the team’s frontcourt-heavy roster:
“I said it this summer and I’ll say it again, we’re learning. To come in here and say we know exactly how this is going to work, I’m not doing that because that’s not true,” Brown said, later adding, “You think maybe he’ll go to a three and he’ll do something as a four and sometimes you want to play small ball, he can play a five. You’re just continuing to learn about these guys as they all finally have real time experiences on the court together.”
There has been a lot of talk about Philly potentially trading either Nerlens Noel or Jahlil Okafor. It does seem like — given the unnecessary amount of big men on the team’s roster — a move of some sort will need to be made.
