It’s been a while since we last updated the Transatlantic Tracker, but with exhibition play under way ahead of next month’s FIBA Europe competition we figured it was time to change that.

Transatlantic Tracker favorite Dario Saric appeared in two games last week with the Croatian National Team, both on the road against Dirk Nowitzki and the German squad. At the same time, current Sixer, and Tracker graduate, Furkan Aldemir played in three contests with Turkey.

The 21-year-old Saric has represented his home country since 2009, when he was a member of the Croatia’s Under-16 Team. In 2010, he earned MVP honors with the U16 team and did so again with the U18 team in 2012. By 2013, Saric earned a spot on the veteran squad, and in 2014 he started each of the team’s six contests at the FIBA World Cup.

In Friday’s friendly against Germany, the 2014 first-round pick (12th overall) led all participants in points (18) and rebounds (10) and made a handful of big plays down the stretch to secure a 74-72 overtime victory. In 32 minutes, he went 6-for-12 from the field and 2-for-4 from long range, and his strong play earned praise from one of the greatest to ever compete on the global stage.

“He had a great game, he made some big shots for them, hit some threes,” 13-time NBA All-Star Dirk Nowitzki said of Saric’s performance. When asked if the young forward was ready to make the jump stateside, he was equally enthusiastic. “He plays hard, he’s skilled, and he can shoot, so yeah, sure.”

Over the weekend, Dario Saric went one-on-one with a legend. Here's what Dirk Nowitzki had to say after the game.

https://t.co/ZWHUtUPACq — Philadelphia 76ers (@Sixers) August 17, 2015

Nowitzki was held to 11 points on 3-of-9 shooting in Friday’s game, in large part due to the efforts of Saric. And while the young Croatian scored just two points to go along with three rebounds and a pair of assists in Saturday’s rematch, he once again helped shut down Germany’s go-to scorer, holding Nowitzki to just seven points on 2-of-5 shooting while helping Croatia coast to an 80-63 win.

Meanwhile in Turkey, Furkan Aldemir and his fellow national team members, affectionately nicknamed the “12 Giant Men,” went 3-0 in a trio of exhibition games against Tunisia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Greece. And while the 24-year-old Aldemir, now in his eighth year with his national team, averaged just 11.3 minutes per game in the three contests, he showed why he’s considered one of the best rebounders in the tournament. In 34 total minutes, he pulled down 15 rebounds, including five on the offensive end.

On Tuesday, Aldemir and Saric go head-to-head in an exhibition match between Turkey and Croatia. EuroBasket tips off in full on September 5.