The Philadelphia 76ers drafted Jaden Springer with their first-round pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. Springer was a good shooter in his one year at Tennessee and showed the ability to create his own shot. Since being drafted though, he has struggled to crack a deep Sixers guard rotation.
Proving his worth is not something that is new to Jaden Springer. He started his college career coming off the bench for a quality Tennessee team yet by the end of the season had landed himself on the SEC All-Freshman team. Springer also finished the season as the top scorer on a very offensively-balanced Volunteers roster.
Spring won’t contribute to the Philadelphia 76ers as a rookie
His issue since entering the NBA is the logjam in the Sixers backcourt of more experienced and veteran players. This list includes Danny Green, Seth Curry, Tyrese Maxey, Matisse Thybulle, Furkan Korkmaz, Shake Milton, and even Isaiah Joe. Six of those guards currently play regular starter or rotation minutes, but at some point in the future, something will have to give with the younger guards like Milton, Joe, and Springer.
Springer has an almost zero chance of playing, let alone contributing this season and I predicted this last summer following the draft. He has played a number of games for the Delaware Blue Coats, the Sixers G-League affiliate, this year. When on the court for the Blue Coats, he has continued to show off his scoring ability as well as impressing on the defensive end of the floor, averaging over two steals a game.
However, a different hurdle facing Springer, other than the guards ahead of him, is his newfound shooting struggles. He is shooting 28 percent from 3-point range and 44 percent from the field for the Blue Coats. Compare that to last season at Tennessee when he averaged 44 percent from 3-point range and 47 percent from the field.
Springer is only 19 years old and obviously, it is tough to predict his NBA future right now. Given the right team, maybe somewhere like Oklahoma City, where young players are given chances to prove their worth, who knows what Springer’s career can turn into.
Maybe he will have a rebirth in a different city similar to former Philadelphia 76ers like Christian Wood, Jerami Grant, or Richaun Holmes. The only thing that is clear right now is the Sixers do not have room or a need for Springer with the current roster construction.