Phoenix Suns' Dario Saric Calls Sixers' Joel Embiid the 'Best Big Man'
Dario Saric knows Joel Embiid well -- especially on the court. After all, the Phoenix Suns forward started his NBA career with the Philadelphia 76ers right around the time Joel Embiid was getting healthy and beginning to take the court.
These days, they're no longer teammates. And on Saturday afternoon, they had a tough battle against each other as Saric took on the responsibility of guarding Embiid at times. While Embiid flashed some of his MVP-worthy dominance, Saric, for the most part, did a decent job against his former teammate.
While Embiid and Saric didn't look so friendly on the court during Saturday's matchup, the former Sixers forward had nothing but respect for his former teammate after the game. "It's hard to [hold up against Embiid]," Saric said on Saturday night.
"Obviously Joel is, I would say he's maybe the best big man, who is skilled like that and can do a lot of things like Shaq. It's just hard to guard him. I had some opportunities to guard him in practice, one-on-one, and stuff. I know like maybe what he will do. I know where I can meet him on a spot. It was hard. Obviously, he would do his moves, and he would get some hard buckets. That's the league, you know?"
Although Saric and the Suns managed to outscore the Sixers by nine points on Saturday, it wasn't due to Embiid not getting his points. As usual, Embiid led his team in scoring on Saturday as he shot 12-for-23 from the field. In 36 minutes of action, he put up 35 points, which was one fewer than Phoenix's top scorer, Devin Booker.
Unfortunately for Embiid, his team struggled to help him out on the offensive end. All-Star Tobias Harris had one of his more quiet games on Saturday, while Ben Simmons didn't contribute much to the scoreboard in the second half after dropping 16 points in the first two quarters. The 76ers might not have won against the Suns this weekend, but Embiid's MVP campaign didn't necessarily take a hit.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_
