There were rumors of the Philadelphia 76ers shopping the 28th pick in the draft, but President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey decided to stay put. 18-year-old combo guard Jaden Springer was selected towards the end of the first round.
In 25 games at Tennessee, Springer averaged 12.5 points per game, 3.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists. Springer also shot 43.5 percent from 3 for the season on approximately two attempts per game. He earned SEC All-Freshman honors.
PRO to Sixers drafting Jaden Springer: Defensive skills in spades
Springer was without a doubt one of the best defenders in this class. His on-ball defense is absolutely swarming:
Jaden Springer's defense is pretty overwhelming pic.twitter.com/Mhqj3RjdIJ
— Max Carlin (@maxacarlin) March 19, 2020
What I think the Sixers eventually want to develop Springer into defensively is a bit of a combo between Kyle Lowry and Danny Green. He has some of those classic 3-and-D traits with a thick lower body. Regardless of which end of the floor Springer is on, he provides high intensity play.
One of the things that should interest Sixers fans is the potential of having both Springer and Matisse Thybulle on the court in some rotations. Even with a potential Ben Simmons trade in the works, the Sixers will still have quality transition opportunities after forcing turnovers.
The jump shot has to be tweaked a bit, but the former Vol can offer the team a lot on defense in the interim.