CAMDEN, N.J. — Philadelphia 76ers guard Jaden Springer is entering his third season in the league looking to break into the rotation and earn regular minutes on the floor.
He made a good case for himself in Sunday’s preseason matchup with the Boston Celtics. He had 14 points, knocked down two 3s and he had one emphatic block on Celtics star Jayson Tatum.
Tatum drove to the basket, rose up and looked like he was going to have a highlight slam. Instead, Springer rose with him, met him at the summit and sent it the other way. It was an impressive play.
“He drove by somebody, I just rolled over for help defense,” Springer recalled with a smile. “I was just going to jump and he tried to dunk on me. I was like ‘Aw man, here we go!’ and met him at the rim.”
JADEN SPRINGER MEETS TATUM AT THE RIM. 😤😤😤
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) October 8, 2023
It looks like Springer is much more comfortable than he has been in the past. It appears that he looks ready to take the next step in his progression on both ends of the floor compared to where he was around this time in 2022.
“I can probably say in every aspect,” Springer said of his growth. “Defensively, off the ball, I’m more locked in, I know where to be, I know the rotations. Offensively, I know how to get to my spots, I know where I’m supposed to be, and just being able to use my size, and my athletic ability to crash the boards. That’s helped me a lot.”
It also has helped Springer that he has been with coach Nick Nurse since the summer league in both Utah and Las Vegas. Those reps in his system have allowed him to show off more of his progression.
“With Nick Nurse, I’ve been with him since summer league,” Springer added. “He’s been locked in with us. We’ve been in the gym, we’ve been running his system, so I feel like I got more reps and more opportunities so far up to this point with Nick Nurse. … I love what Nick’s doing with the team.”
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