The All-Star break may have come at a bad time for the Philadelphia 76ers, as they're riding high with a 5-game winning.
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The chemistry amongst the young core of the Sixers are finally starting to click, but it wasn't always the case this season.
While Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid are enjoying terrific years, Dario Saric struggled to find his place on the team early on. A year ago the 23-year-old was one of the focal points of the Sixers offence, but with Simmons now running the show at point guard and Embiid playing more games, his responsibilities were reduced - leaving him wondering where he could contribute.
"It was a big chance for me," Saric told the media after the Rising Stars practice. "I remember at the beginning of the season it was really hard for me to try to find a way to score, how to impact the game.
"After (the first) a couple of months, around Christmas, I really figured out how to play with these two guys."
December was a tough month for Saric and the Sixers starting the month poorly with a 2-9 record. The Croatian star found his name swirling in trade rumours. The cold, harsh world of the NBA had hit Saric, but he wasn't willing to give up, even motivating himself to earn his spot by trying to out-compete the two stars on his team.
"Of course, their our best players, but sometimes you need to fight for yourself," Saric said with a laugh.
"I'll find a way. I really enjoy playing with them."
Since the Christmas Day win at Madison Square Garden over the Knicks, Philadelphia has gone 16-7. The second-year player credits that to the team all finding a role.
For Saric, he's become the third scoring option and has thrived in that role averaging 14.7 points, 6.9 rebounds per game.
The Sixers currently sit seventh in the Eastern Conference and are only two games back of fourth place. With roles on the team now defined, Saric feels the team is ready to close the second half of the season strong.
"Everyone I think has found a role on this team and everyone is happy. "(We're) a young team, young core but we also have a couple of veterans like J.J. and now we've added Marco Belinelli
"We can't wait till All-Star is finished to have our next game."
