The Philadelphia 76ers threw their younger players into different roles when they took on the Atlanta Hawks on Friday on the road. The Sixers rested their entire starting lineup and their sixth man in the matchup to prepare for the playoffs.
Second-year guard Jaden Springer was one of those who took on much more responsibility in his first career start. He had a career-high 19 points and he played excellent defense on Hawks star Trae Young late in the fourth quarter to force overtime.
Springer, who has been billed as one of the better young defenders out on the perimeter, made some big plays against Young with the game on the line in the fourth. He eventually fouled out in overtime, but his defense was a big help in the 136-131 OT win over the Hawks.
“It was great,” Springer told reporters of the matchup with Young. “It was fun. That was my first time really competing against one of the top guards in his league. I had fun doing that and hopefully, I get more chances like that going forward.”
Overall, Springer really impressed. There were a lot of great moments for the 20-year-old out of Tennessee, and it is something that he can really take with him as he moves forward with his career.
“It was good,” Springer added. “Going into the game, I didn’t know what to expect. I just knew I was gonna try and go out there go hard and compete. The results came out like I wanted it to so when we got the dub, and that’s all that really matters.”
Springer will get another chance to impress on Sunday when they take on the Brooklyn Nets in the season finale.
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