by Semih Tuna / info@eurohoops.net
Anadolu Efes‘ new signing Dario Saric spoke with Eurohoops during the EuroLeague preseason media day. Ten years ago, the Croatian forward left the Istanbul outfit to play in the NBA. Now, the 32-year-old has returned to the club where his career gained momentum.
After inking a multi-year deal, Saric brings back 522 games of NBA experience, frontcourt intelligence, and a drive to win the EuroLeague championship, which is missing from his resume.
The Sibenik native discussed his time in the NBA and his transition back to Europe.
New culture
“Feeling good, feeling great,” Saric said, preparing for a long day of interviews. “Media day, I guess it’s gonna be a hard one, a tiring day, but we will survive somehow.”
When he left Efes in 2016, the club was competitive but had not yet won the top European title. While he was away, they secured back-to-back EuroLeague championships. Back a decade later, he noticed a shift in the organization’s mindset.
“Obviously, things change,” he explained. “Efes became a winner in the EuroLeague. So they know how to build a team now. They know what it takes. The situation is pretty much the same, the people around the team are the same, but I think once you win as a team, it puts you up there. You know what it takes to win the EuroLeague.”
Confidence
That history brings an edge that Saric noticed upon his return.
“Yeah, the confidence,” he replied, agreeing that the team’s outlook has evolved. “You know, that posture, that body language that some teams have because they’ve been through the history and they just have something different. It’s hard to explain, but it’s something different. I think that’s what changed. Efes was always a ‘gentleman team’ throughout history, but once they won, they became known as winners. Now they can level up all the time. It’s not enough just to be in the playoffs; you need to win, because there is some history behind Efes now.”
This environment made a reunion logical for the forward. Following a complicated finish to his NBA run, he prioritized a familiar environment where he could focus on his game.
“Yeah, kind of,” he admitted. “After ten years in the NBA, it was more logical for me to come play somewhere I’ve been, to be surrounded by people I know, to feel confident and good, and to play good games. To give my best efforts to the team. I felt it was the best situation and the best thing for me.”
Patient pursuit
The move back to Turkiye almost happened earlier. When his status changed mid-season, talks began about a return before the 2025–26 calendar ended.
“After the situation with Detroit, after I got cut, I wanted to come immediately to play a couple of games before the season ended,” he revealed. “We didn’t come to an agreement, and the situation wasn’t really good in the second half of the season for Efes. So we waited for the summer. I had a couple of offers, and I decided that Efes is the best place for me to provide my best basketball.”
Early in his career, Saric was a core piece for the Philadelphia 76ers, showing passing skills and frontcourt versatility. His journey eventually took him through Minnesota, Phoenix, Oklahoma City, Golden State, Denver, and Sacramento.
“I was playing good in Philly, and then once you get traded to another team,” he reflected. “It was a new feeling for me. In the beginning of the season, I just ended up on a new team, in a new city, and it was really hard for me to process. I didn’t have the experience. I have it now after changing a couple of teams. I didn’t have that experience back then. Maybe I would have adapted to my role better. I wouldn’t have been so hard on myself, maybe. I would have just given myself time to adjust to the new system.”
Basketball business
For a young player making the jump from Europe, an unexpected trade can be difficult to navigate. Saric remembers the sudden transition when Philadelphia sent him to the Timberwolves early in the 2018–19 season.
“I didn’t know the feeling, I didn’t know what to expect,” he told Eurohoops. “I was playing in Philly for two years. Every season I was going up and playing well. And one moment, after 6-7 games into the season, right after two good games, the coaches called me and told me, ‘You are traded to the Timberwolves.’ You go back to the room, look for flights, fly back to Philly to pack your things, and the next day you are in Minneapolis. I was 21, 22… You just don’t have time to feel anything. You just show up in another city, other people take you to the hotel, the next day you try to find an apartment, you go to practice with totally different people. For me, it was a bit of a shock, and it took me some time to really realize what was going on.”
“I was playing well in Philly,” he continued. “I never thought players who were playing well would get traded. And I had Tom Thibodeau as a coach, and he plays his starters a lot. I was starting in Philly, the 3rd team in the West, and I go to the 10th team in the Western Conference. I was expecting they were trying to go young, but he kept playing the older guys, which is fine. With all this shock, I didn’t really figure out how to manage my situation or how to approach the game. It took me like six months to do that. It was just a shock, but that’s life. I just didn’t know at the time how to react.”
Finding his role
Now an experienced veteran, Saric looks at his career with perspective, choosing not to worry about alternative scenarios or statistics. His next chapter will be guided by Pablo Laso.
“He told me he sees me playing at the four and five, with a lot of minutes. Obviously, Pablo is a guy who gives a lot of freedom to his players. So, I’m expecting to find my role to be the best I can,” he said.
“I like playing the four more, but I like playing the five if I have slower guys to attack,” he added. “I don’t really care. I know when you play the five, you need to fight more. You are more involved in pick-and-roll coverages. But I like playing the four to spread the floor, attack guys on the low post, or attack from outside. In shorter stints during the game, I like to play the five to attack slower guys. Over longer stretches, I like playing the four.”
Though he knows the international game well from his time with the Croatian national team, he acknowledges that the current EuroLeague calendar requires an adjustment.
“In the preseason, I had a couple of games, and I think I looked solid, very good in some games,” he mentioned. “Of course, it’s gonna take some time to really adjust to the schedule. When I was here, the EuroLeague had fewer games. Now you play every 5-6 days, plus the Turkish league, which is very competitive. So it’s gonna take some time. I will try not to put pressure on myself, but I know I can provide good things on the court.”
Ultimate dream
At this point in his career, winning matters more than individual statistics. Having played in the NBA Finals with the Suns and FIBA tournaments with Croatia, lifting the EuroLeague trophy is his main goal.
“I’ve played in different competitions, playoffs, and finals, and I think winning the EuroLeague with Efes right now would be a great thing,” he stressed. “In the EuroLeague, it’s hard to predict who’s gonna be good in the playoffs or the Final Four. Sometimes teams with fewer chances can win it all. So that will be something to look forward to. I think we have a good team to do that. Obviously, the season is long, you need to stay healthy, and a lot of things need to fall into place. But that would be the dream right now, yes.”
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