Dario Saric Productive in First Game for OKC Thunder

Fresh off his trade from the Phoenix Suns, forward Dario Saric had a productive first game with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Fresh off his trade from the Phoenix Suns, forward Dario Saric had a productive first game with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

In 14 minutes off the bench, Saric scored 12 points, grabbed five rebounds and nabbed one steal to help propel OKC to a near-40-point win over the Houston Rockets on Thursday night. He finished 4-for-6 from the field.

It was one of Saric’ more productive games on the season, as he only eclipsed double-digit scoring in 10 of 38 games with the Suns. On the season, he’s now averaging 6.0 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists in just 14 minutes per game.

While Saric didn’t have an entirely great night from beyond the arc, hitting just one of his three attempted 3-pointers, his ability to space the floor was extremely apparent nonetheless. Moving forward, it will be pivotal for OKC to not have a traditional-style center clogging up the paint.

Oklahoma City, the No. 1 driving team in the NBA this season, routed the Rockets behind five players with 12-plus points, one of which was Saric.

On an expiring deal, it’s unknown whether Saric has a future with the Thunder. At 28-years-old, it’s more likely the team fills his spot with an incoming 2023 draftee. But for now, he’ll be able to see some legitimate production alongside one of the more interesting and fun teams in the NBA.

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