Croatian captain and new Golden State Warriors‘ signing Dario Saric has led his national team to victory in the final of the FIBA Pre-Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Turkey.

Saric showcased his offensive versatility and skillset throughout the tournament, culminating in a 22-point performance as a dominant first-half helped Croatia to an 84-71 win over the host nation.

New Golden State Warriors’ big man  has led Croatia to a place at the 2024 FIBA Men’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

 

Coming up against NBA talent in Alperun Sengun, Omer Yurtseven and Furkan Korkmaz, Saric took on more responsibility as a scoring threat in the final. Having led his team in assists throughout multiple games during the tournament, the 29-year-old showed his scoring intent early with a couple of hard drives to the rim.

 

Saric’s offensive skillset was on full display, taking advantage of his driving threat by knocking down four of nine three-point attempts during his 35 minutes on the floor. The eight-year NBA veteran finished with 22 points on 9-for-15 shooting, also adding 11 rebounds, two assists and two steals in a strong outing.

Croatia were dominant throughout the tournament, finishing with a 5-0 record to help make amends for their absence from the upcoming FIBA World Cup. Saric was at the head of their superiority, finishing as a +93 on the floor over the five games.

Saric had 18 points (5-for-9 shooting), eight rebounds, three assists and a steal during his team’s 85-70 win over Ukraine in the semifinal. He earlier had an astonishing 12-assist display in Croatia’s final group game against the Netherlands.

 

The 6’10” big dropped 17 points, three rebounds, four assists, three steals and a block in the opening game of the tournament, before adding nine points, four rebounds and seven assists in another game against Sweden.

While it may not be the highest level of international competition, Saric’s strong form is still a major positive ahead of his first season with the Warriors. After signing a one-year, minimum contract in free agency, he’s expected take on an important role with Golden State as a backup power-forward and small-ball center.

 

The Golden State Warriors failed to gather any significant momentum throughout last season, largely thanks to an horrific road record that seemingly stalled their campaign at every possible turn.

The 2022 NBA champions finished with a disastrous 11-30 road record, sitting only above the paltry Houston Rockets, Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs as the fourth-worst in the league.

 

With a road-heavy early fixture, the Golden State Warriors will have an early opportunity to address their biggest issue from last season.

 

Were the Warriors’ road problems limited to last season, or is it set to become a more systematic issue? Fortunately, the answer to that question will become apparent within the first 10 games of next season.

Golden State open their season with a blockbuster matchup at home against the Phoenix Suns, signalling not only Kevin Durant’s return to a crowd-filled Chase Center, but a mouthwatering debut for Chris Paul against his former team.

Yet after that highly-anticipated battle, seven of the Warriors’ next eight games will come on the road. It will provide an early challenge for Golden State and an opportunity for them to re-establish their championship credentials.

The Warriors will be thrown into the fire early with a three-game road-trip in four days. That starts with a visit back to Golden 1 Center to face the Sacramento Kings, before a back-to-back in Houston and New Orleans.

 

After a return home to face the Kings for the second time within a week, Golden State will be back on the road for four-straight road games beginning with their opening NBA Cup game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

They will then head East to face the Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons, before a trip to altitude to face the NBA champion Denver Nuggets. It’s not an impossible stretch — four of the seven opponents didn’t make the playoffs last season — but it’s still an early litmus test sure to garner plenty of analysis and reaction.

 

Following a 3-2 start to their championship-defending campaign, the Warriors lost five-straight games on the road to fall a 3-7 record through 10 games last season. It wasn’t just the additions to the loss column, it was the way in which it occurred with defeats to the lottery-bound Hornets, Pistons, Pelicans and Magic.

 

In what projects as a deep and tightly-packed Western Conference, Golden State can’t afford a similarly slow start once again. Doing so could summon them to the same fate as last season, and will put undue pressure on a veteran core more concerned with reaching the playoffs in full health.