After a disappointing beginning to the season, where he is statistically underperforming, Dario Saric has shown that he is tired and needs to rest in an upcoming game.
It’s time to talk about Dario Saric. For many fans of the Philadelphia 76ers, myself included, Dario has been the one player that continues to be given a multitude of excuses for his slow start to the season. After Sunday night’s loss to the lowly Brooklyn Nets, however, it has become evident that Dario is exhausted and needs extra rest.
So far this season, the third-year Croatian power forward is averaging 9.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.0 assists on 34 percent field goal shooting. He is even shooting an abysmal 23.2 percent from outside the arc. It would be an understatement to say the Dario is underperforming after a strong sophomore season.
Part of the reason for the deficiency is Dario’s commitment to playing basketball for his national team. He played in four games for the Croatian National Team and practiced with them, most likely playing the rough-type basketball that he does with the Sixers. Because of this he has looked tired on the court. His jump shot shows that he doesn’t have his legs under him.
When asked about Dario’s lack of impact on the floor and possible resting, Coach Brett Brown swatted down the idea.
“I feel like if he came to me and said, ‘You know what, I need some time,’ and we talked about it, I would listen. But I feel like historically with Dario, getting through some stuff isn’t terrible. I don’t feel like I’m force-feeding anything, I don’t feel like I’m hurting him.”
For those that have been watching the games, however, Dario’s slump has clearly been from playing high-level basketball nonstop, leading to exhaustion. Additionally, Dario Saric is known as a player that does not want to sit out of any games. He did not want to rest for the last game of his rookie season and he certainly would not go up to the coach to ask to be benched.
If his game does not improve over the next few weeks, Brown needs to change his mindset and give Dario rest during an upcoming game. Wednesdays game against the Pacers would be a perfect time to give Dario an extended rest so that he can be a better contributor for the team.