It hasn’t been a dream start for Dario Saric with the Denver Nuggets. Two irrelevant outings to start the NBA season don’t bode well. Emmet Ryan believes the Croat can get back to his best basketball. Saric just needs to find The Homie.
This isn’t working. Whether that’s the present tense or habitual present tense remains to be seen. Dario Saric at the 5 for the Denver Nuggets has delivered rough results so far in the NBA. The sample size is small and language is a beautiful beast. There’s a basketball persona that can help.
A quick lesson in the Irish language
Trust me, this is relevant for a Croat playing basketball in the United States. In Irish, or Gaeilge as it is correctly named, the separation of tenses is slightly different. Take the present tense, Aimsir Láithreach, of the sentence “This isn’t working.” In the sense, it would mean that it isn’t working there and then.
In the habitual present, Aimsir Gnáth Láithreach, the sentence takes on a different meaning. “This isn’t working” means an ongoing situation where the method has been proven repeatedly to not work. That’s the concern right now with the Denver Nuggets. Are they merely in the present tense with Dario Saric at the 5? Or, should they fear they have wandered into an habitual present tense?
One of the few upsides of the sheer length of the NBA season is that it gives teams time to figure things out. Dario is nominally able to be the 5 in basketball but, in the present tense, he doesn’t look like he really can.
The scars are mental
Things really haven’t been the same for Dario Saric since missing the entire 2021/22 season with the Phoenix Suns. The perception, both within himself and from those in the NBA, is that he won’t deliver like he previously had.
The thing is, when it comes to the counting stats and Per 40 numbers, that perception is way off. Saric is putting up numbers comparable to what he was doing prior to missing a season, especially when adjusted for usage rate. The fluctuations that are there are within a conventional margin of error.
Yet he just doesn’t look the same baller. Dario Saric post injury simply lacks that something else he brought to the basketball court. He plays with a body that feels older, warier, and uncertain of itself. Mike Malone and the Denver Nuggets need him to find the old him. The persona that was forged at Cibona and Anadolu Efes before being honed in Philadelphia.
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He must become The Homie
Slip on a diamond pinky ring, rock a jacket that says “I’m here”, and go to work. Dario Saric needs to embrace the Homie. The man who is always there because he knows he will be there. Yes, he’s gregarious but he needs to find the confidence that made him so. The Homie is only able to be friendly when the creation is feeling the flow.
That means rethinking what he is on the floor for the Denver Nuggets. While Dario is built like a 4 that can play the 5, in truth he’s a PF with SF qualities. That doesn’t mean he can’t go to the C position, it just means he has to reimagine it within today’s NBA.
Focusing purely on style, Dario is not like Nikola Jokic. That way of playing the 5 is out. He’s also not like Draymond Green so recreating the Golden State death line-up is also a no. What he needs to be is someone who can embrace his own qualities. Dario can play inside out, both with the ball and his legs. Utilise that, and force the D to be unsure what’s coming. A point 5 in the more point than 5 sense (basically more like a PG spot than Jokic spot) is where he can drag teams when Nikola isn’t on the floor. When Jokic is there, then we can just get the old-school Homie playing hoops.
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Yes, there is time
The ability of the internet to over react in the moment is truly remarkable. Granted there was a pre-season but this was only the second real basketball game that Dario Saric has played with Denver Nuggets. He was the 9th of 9 players in terms of minutes played. Mike Malone knows he’ll need to go a bit deeper on the bench than that in the regular season. Right now, he’s trying to use Saric and Julian Strawther more.
That gives reason to believe that Saric will get the opportunity to work his way into the fit. At 30, he’s far from done in terms of years. Having Nikola Jokic as an advocate always helps too. The biggest person he needs to prove things to is the one he sees in the mirror. Right now, it feels like he’s been beating himself up for two years and change.
Dario needs to be kinder to Dario. Throw those shoulders back, wiggle them about, and have a big stretch. Yes, he needs to do what middle aged people do to manage the raw pain of existence most mornings. Maybe roll the neck a little too. By dialling down the heat he puts on himself, and just believing that he’s going to get it done, he’ll grow in confidence. That way he can be the guy that throws himself into the fray without fear. In the process, he’ll silence those outside voices too.
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