Dario Saric, the 18-year-old Croatian projected by many to be a first-round pick in June’s NBA draft, announced Saturday he will not declare for said draft, per Yugobasket. ESPN’s Chad Ford had reported earlier this week that Saric would, in fact, declare for the draft.
Dario Saric will not enter 2013 NBA draft
The Croatian youngster well spend another year in Europe honing his game, he announced Saturday.
Jerry Lai-US PRESSWIRE
More: NBA Draft 2013 coverage
Saric was projected by DraftExpress to be the 24th pick in the upcoming draft, and the second international player off the board behind France’s Rudy Gobert. Saric is 6’10 with a 6’10 wingspan, and although he’s played down low in his European career, DraftExpress’ Matt Kamalsky said he projects as more of a wing because of his ballhandling, but needs work on his jumper. Saric said in his announcement he will take another year to hone his game in Europe before likely entering the 2014 draft.
Interestingly enough, he wasn't thought of as a player who could come over immediately anyway. Much like Rudy Fernandez or Jonas Valanciunas, he was thought of as a draft-and-stash candidate, even in the first round. Considering this has been largely panned as a weak draft class, it will be interesting to see if his draft stock rises next year above its project 24, or if a deeper class pushes him farther down the board.
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