Dario Saric on more Europeans in the NBA: 'I don't know if they'll allow it' / News - Basketnews.com

With the NBA getting increasingly European, Dario Saric thinks the league might intervene at some point.

Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports - Scanpix Credit Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports - Scanpix

With every new season, the NBA is becoming increasingly international. As some of the top upcoming draft prospects are European, the NBA is sometimes struggling to find the face of the league.

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LeBron James is entering the final years of his career, while Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant are about to turn 36 this year. The last five MVP trophies were won by international players, and discussions have begun to find the new face of the league, a role Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and James played previously for multiple decades.

An international player has never been considered the face of the NBA. As such, people in the US turn to Jayson Tatum or Anthony Edwards to fill that void more often than not. Golden State Warriors forward Dario Saric thinks the ever-increasing expansion might be stopped at some point.

"Obviously, the gap is closing because you learn to play five-on-five basketball in Europe. [Here in the US,] they actually learn a lot to play one-on-one basketball, it's the kind of difference between the NBA and Europe, they are probably more skilled in one-on-one. When you look at Jokic and Doncic and what they do, I'd say they're probably the two best players in the NBA with Steph and a couple other guys," he said in an interview with Toni Canyameras from Mundo Deportivo.

"They (the Europeans) have enormous talent, they know how to play team basketball, they know how to play great basketball. I think that in the future, the NBA can be [even] more European than it is [now], but I don't know if the NBA will allow it. They need it to continue being an American sport," the player explained.

Alongside Saric in Golden State plays another European - Usman Garuba. After competing in 75 regular season games last year, the Spanish big man has played in only three contests this season, spending most of his time int the G League.

Talking about Garuba, Saric thinks it's all about opportunity for him, and the current construction of the roster doesn't help his chances this season.

"He's a fantastic player. Obviously, the situation here is that perhaps the team is playing with guys who are a little older, with more experience, and that is why you don't have many opportunities in the NBA. But he's playing the G League very well, he is a great player. This year here is a good experience for him and I think that next year he will show that he can be part of the NBA and can play good basketball," Saric said.

"He's an amazing player, but once you get the opportunity... you know, you have to get the opportunity at the right time in the NBA, play well at the right time, so I hope he can achieve that in the future and in the NBA," the Croatian forward concluded.

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