Despite the disappointment of missing out on Ben Simmons and seeing mere glimpses of Joel Embiid’s brilliance, the in-house development the Sixers have fostered this season has been pretty remarkable. Much to the credit of Brett Brown and his staff, we’ve seen Robert Covington transform himself into a top-end defensive wing in the NBA, TJ McConnell blossom as a two-way ball-handler and even Timothé Luwawu get assimilated and grow increasingly comfortable on an NBA floor in his first season, earlier than I had anticipated. Not to mention, Richaun Holmes’ continued improvement since the trade deadline.
Which is what makes Dario Saric’s recent emergence as a clear future building block, rather than an ultimately dispensable supporting actor (think Rob Schneider in literally anything) all the more special for Sixers fans.