The Croatian Sensation Sets his Sights on the 2014 Draft.
Let us start this from the first stop on Dario’s basketball hype train. Hailing from the basketball proud nation of Croatia, it was inevitable that Šarić would be compared to the GOAT. No, not Michael Jordan but arguably Croatia’s greatest of all time, the one once considered by some as the Croatian MJ, Toni Kukoč . Okay, I already see the eyeballs rolling by the whippersnappers out there but trust me, before Kukoč was known as that tall, goateed guy that just shot threes and played awful defense on Jordan’s Bulls he was a serious player in Europe before some nagging injuries slowed him down. 6’10”-6’11” with deep range and could handle like a guard, Kukoč was Kevin Durant before Kevin Durant, KD-lite almost.
Is Šarić the next Kukoč? They’re both Croatian, 6’10” and around 225-235 lbs with excellent handles and versatility. Both Kukoč Šarić is not. Šarić’s one glaring weakness is his maddeningly mediocre shooting. Although trending upwards, Dario’s stroke has a ways to go before he can justifiably wear the Kukoč label. Shooting only ~30% from deep has a lot to do with why Šarić has been an NBA draft tease. The good news is his form looks to be improving and he shoots a respectable 71% from the charity stripe. The stroke looks good, it just doesn’t go in as often as you’d like.
Dario’s other weaknesses depriving him of sure-fire lottery selection are physical in nature. He is not a great athlete; primarily a below the rim player. He has average length which manifests in his inability to finish over longer defenders, particularly in traffic. A classic point-forward, Šarić gets pushed around fairly regularly by bigger, stronger players at power forward. If that is happening in Europe, you can generally write Dario’s NBA position as small forward in ink unless he bulks up considerably. Related to his length, Šarić has a tendency to keep his dribble high and is an easy target to get stripped in the lane.
But there’s some good news: This nineteen year old kid can seriously ball. Šarić is one of those players that shines in well-coached, organized situations. If the San Antonio Spurs draft Šarić you can practically hear 29 other GM’s smacking their heads in unison for passing up on the Croat. It’s easy to do when you nitpick all of his individual flaws. But when you sit back and take in the whole symphony of Dario’s game it quickly becomes a tune you can appreciate. The question is whether it’s a tune that you can dance to in the NBA.
At the very least Šarić has the potential to be a high level role-player. He has the classic point-forward game and versatility. Get ready for the barrage of Kyle Anderson of UCLA versus Šarić debates surely to come. Basically, if you are looking for a high-usage player, you want Anderson. If you want a lower-usage, efficient cog you want the Croatian. Šarić blasphemously does resemble Magic Johnson with his floor vision and fluid passes, especially in the paint. Like a lot of bigs with passing flair, Dario is a bit turnover prone but the good basketball decisions he makes far exceeds the bad ones so it’s a non-issue. Šarić has a terrific ability to start the fast break immediately after a rebound, practically a 6’10” PG. He’s not a leaper but he goes from end to end very well for his size and has a tireless motor. He excels in the transition game with his combination of size, speed, passing and touch. If he can’t dime off to the open man he can punish his defender for not stopping the ball with his soft touch on layups.
In the half court Šarić is a net positive as well. He can be a mismatch nightmare for smaller covers by posting up with nice hooks and scoops or punish bigs by knocking down open looks from the perimeter. He’s always a threat to pass and moves seamlessly without the ball, filling open lanes with ease. Opposing defenses either live with his shooting or crowd him alongside the baseline under the basket where he runs out of length and passing angles. But it’s when the shot goes up that Šarić really excels because while most players are content to stand around and wait for the ball Šarić goes and gets it like a terrier seeking vermin. He has a knack for travelling great lengths to turn what should be an uncontested rebound for the defender a contested one, with Šarić being a strong bet to win. Šarić is the king of 50/50 balls on both sides of the floor. He has sticky fingers and is adept at anticipating passes and picking pockets, just pure effort and IQ.
Dario is a stout team defender and pesky in isolations. He seems to have competent lateral quickness to play the SF in the NBA, fortunately for him because he struggles mightily when posted up, just too light in the European skinny jeans. He’s not Nic Batum or Andrei Kirilenko but defensively he shouldn’t be a liability defending pick and rolls. Overall, his physical limitations on defense regarding his lack of length will probably have some negative effect on his draft stock. Offensively, GM’s will be wary of his ‘tweener game and lack of leaping ability. However, consistent improvement of shooting (entirely within the realm of possibility) could transcend Šarić from role-player to star status, especially if he lands in the right organization. He certainly has the pedigree to assuage any fears of being an outright bust, racking up numerous accolades in high level competition, from the 13 points, 14 rebounds and 5 assists for the World Team in the 2012 Nike Hoop Summit to winning FIBA European Young Player of the Year in 2013 and numerous tournament MVPs and golds.
NBA comparison: Omri Casspi, Otto Porter, Andre Roberson types. He’s a fairly unique package so this is really tough to nail down. Casspi is his floor, I can confidently say.
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