Phoenix Suns power forward Dario Saric is ready for his return to action.
It's been over one year now since we last saw Saric on the court, a July 6 appearance in the 2021 NBA Finals that saw him tear his ACL and would eventually put him out of commission for the long haul.
That was confirmed when Saric had meniscus surgery back in May.
Yet time has passed, and although the NBA season won't be tipping off until later in October, Saric is set to play his first minutes for Croatia in the upcoming EuroBasket tournament.
“I missed the national team, it is always an honor and pride to play for Croatia,” he told EuroBasket.com's Johnny Askounis. “The feeling of being back is fantastic. After the end of the NBA season, I trained there until mid-July. I was preparing to be as fit as possible. I feel good. It’s nice to be with these players.”
The tournament, set to begin on Sept. 1, will feature national squads from across Europe.
In 2020-21, Saric averaged 8.7 points per game, 3.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists per contest for Phoenix. He says he'll return to the Suns after conclusion of play.
“Right now, the plan is to go back to Phoenix,” Saric said. “I talked with the coach, but you never know in the NBA. I don’t worry about that. I am trying to come back from injury and my focus is on the national team.”
Proving to be a valuable (and versatile) and asset for the Suns, his presence was missed in Phoenix last season. With Jae Crowder potentially leaving town via trade, Saric may be in for an increased role.
Yet that's far away, as Saric is set to compete without restrictions against some of Europe's best in the coming weeks. We'll know more about how he looks when the time comes.
For now, there's genuine excitement from different groups of basketball fans on what Saric will be able to do.
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