Phoenix Suns Who Could Still Heat Up this Postseason: Dario Saric
Dario Saric stepped up huge for Phoenix after Ayton gathered two quick fouls to start Game 2 against the Nuggets, leaving Coach Williams with no choice but to send out Saric against Jokic far earlier than either parties anticipated. Saric rose to the occasion though with eight points and four rebounds, while gong 2-3 from deep.
But that performance only illustrated a fraction of his capabilities off the bench. As perhaps the team’s streakiest player during the regular season, Saric always stepped onto the hardwood as a threat to make things happen, yet also as a potential liability. For argument’s sake though, we’ll stay on the positive side.
His ability to shoot from outside or at least draw out a defender comes as Saric’s most notable attribute over Ayton, allowing him to help the Suns stretch the floor. This advantage provided by the Croatian big man helps the entire team pull defenses apart, only making things that much easier for assist-guru Chris Paul to either find him, or other teammates for easy shots.
For this to occur though, Saric simply needs more minutes, but with Ayton playing his best basketball right now, forcing him into the game more often feels idiotic. However, Ayton’s massive workload thus far might lead to more playing time for Saric, just working like a relief pitcher rather than an unnecessary starter.
Ayton currently averages the most minutes by a center so far these playoffs at 35.1 per game. Although Ayton’s youth makes this a less troublesome factor, it still might influence him during any future games, with such a pace likely to become only that much more difficult to maintain as things progress.
If a role such as this indeed presents itself and Saric buys into it with efficient, team-oriented play, expect him to thrive. When playing big playoff minutes for the Philadelphia 76ers before they traded him away, Saric averaged 17.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game. Just like the players mentioned before him, Saric carries great potential as a player, but just needs a few more chips to fall into place to make a larger impact.