Minnesota Timberwolves: Why each new player fits the Wolves perfectly
By Ben Beecken
Dario Saric
Dario Saric was the No. 12 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft but is in just his third NBA season and won’t turn 25 years old April.
Saric is on his rookie contract and will be eligible for an extension next summer and will be a restricted free agent in the summer of 2020. In other words, he’s a bargain at his current cost and still has at least two years of team control as he enters his prime.
On the court, Saric should step in and start at power forward immediately. He became a full-time starter for the 52-win Sixers last season and started all 13 games so far this year for Philadelphia.
Saric is a solid ball-handler and passer for a 6-foot-10 power forward. He can handle the ball and distribute when asked, and is also a good post scorer and 3-point shooter.
(Side note for Wolves fans: if anyone makes a lazy comparison to Nemanja Bjelica, just let them know that Saric is superior to Bjelica in every area save for 3-point shooting, and especially when it comes to scoring in the post and taking care of the basketball when he’s operating as a point forward.)
The best way to describe Saric is that he is average to above-average in nearly every possible category. He will need to improve defensively; as of now he is passable when guarding some fours, but can be overpowered in the post by bigger players or beat on the perimeter by faster forwards. As a team defender, however, he is effective.
Saric is a near-perfect fit when it comes to slotting in next to Karl-Anthony Towns. If he shoots anywhere in the neighborhood of his 39.3 percent 3-point shooting mark from a year ago and continues to improve steadily on defense, it would be hard to dream up a better fit.
Saric should start immediately for the Wolves, moving Taj Gibson to a 20-25 minute bench role. Saric will probably play some small forward depending on matchups, meaning that Gorgui Dieng and Anthony Tolliver will likely be the biggest minutes casualties. (Here’s hoping that the Wolves are creative with some Saric-Tolliver-Towns frontcourts. Talk about long-range shooting…)
The main question here is what the development of Towns and Saric looks like when guided by one Tom Thibodeau. If each player follows an ideal arc, however, the Wolves should have a formidable frontcourt duo for years and years to come.