The Philadelphia 76ers have already started preparing for next season after one of the worst seasons in NBA history finally ended. Despite winning just 10 games this past season, the 76ers are confident that their future is bright because of their young talent and some new players they are expected to add.
Joel Embiid, despite being on the team the last two years, will be the biggest addition for the 76ers as they expect him to be fully healthy and to make a big impact right away. Embiid, though, is not the only "addition" they expect to make this offseason as they are planning on bringing Dario Saric over from Turkey.
During the season, Saric said that he constantly communicated with members of the 76ers organization and all along the expectation has been that he would come over to the U.S. for next season. That continues to be the expectation for the 76ers as they will likely buy Saric out of his contract with Anadolu Efes in Turkey.
Saric was a first round pick (12th overall) by the Orlando Magic back in 2014 before making his way over to Philadelphia in the deal that gave Orlando Elfrid Payton. The 6-foot-10 Croatian played in 24 games with his club this season and averaged 11.7 points and 5.8 rebounds in just 22.5 minutes per game. Saric also shot 50 percent from the field and 40 percent from three, so his numbers make it seem like he is ready for the jump to the NBA.
As for how Saric might fit in to the NBA, head coach Brett Brown said that he sees him as a combo forward, meaning he can play both outside and inside. Brown does want Saric to work on his three-point shooting, which had been subpar prior to this season, but overall he sees him as a versatile player who can do pretty much everything.
With the roster as it stands currently, Saric will be joining a pretty crowded frontcourt, assuming Embiid is healthy. The 76ers have Embiid, Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel in the frontcourt along with Robert Covington and Richaun Holmes, so Saric will likely have to work for his playing time. Of course, the 76ers could possibly make a big move involving one of their big men to make room for the 22-year-old, whom they like a lot. The possibility of the 76ers trading Okafor has been rumored, so that is a possibility, but the way it stands now, the 76ers young frontcourt looks to be something they can really build on.
