Sixers: 3 goals for Jaden Springer in 2021-22 season

3 goals for Sixers guard Jaden Springer: Crack the rotation

This is a tall task for Springer, who has the misfortune of playing for Doc Rivers — the world’s most unapologetic Shake Milton apologist, and a noted adversary of rookie playing time. It took complete incompetence from Shake Milton and a singular arc of in-season improvement from Tyrese Maxey for the latter to get minutes in the playoffs. Springer will have a tough time beating out either of them.

To make matters worse, even if Springer can supplant Shake in the Sixers’ guard hierarchy, his odds of supplanting Furkan Korkmaz or Matisse Thybulle are zilch. Springer shouldn’t be the only guard on the floor (which rules out Maxey and Shake getting benched), and Rivers is a sucker for established contributors. Even with great defense, an attribute Springer can wield over Maxey and Milton, it’s hard to picture him earning the necessary confidence from Rivers.

In all likelihood, given Maxey’s singular rate of improvement and the Sixers’ desire to compete for a championship, the 18-year-old Springer will spend his first NBA season on the pine. He will get to learn from whoever the Sixers run out at point guard, and he will probably get some reps in Delaware, to boot.

Springer is more NBA ready than Maxey on defense, but he’s much more of a mixed bag offensively. The Sixers need guards who can loosen up the offense and make shots, which will probably not be the case with Springer next season. He’s an excellent long-term complement to Maxey — their skill sets fit almost perfectly together, assuming at least one of them figures out the 3-point shot — but this is a goal Springer will probably not achieve.

Even so, there’s no harm in shooting for the moon. Crazier things have happened.