CAMDEN, NJ — Philadelphia 76ers guard Jaden Springer took a break from his offseason work to make an appearance at the Jr. 76ers Summer Hoops Tour. Helping the kids with drills and taking pictures — which he did on a previous stop on the tour in July after the Sixers' Summer League contests — gave him a chance to just have fun playing basketball.
As his offseason work continues, Springer will look to be a regular in the Sixers' rotation. Spending two seasons soaking in professional experience with the G League's Delaware Blue Coats gave a raw prospect the chance to grow his game away from the spotlight. Now, the team is ready for the soon-to-be-21-year-old to step up.
The departure of several free agents opens up room for Springer to seize a rotation spot under Nick Nurse, who entered his first year as the Sixers' head coach by traveling with the team to its Summer League games. Opening up in the Salt Lake City round-robin, Nurse coached a pair of games, familiarizing himself with Springer and the team's other key prospects.
It took all of one practice with the Summer League roster for Springer to recognize that Nurse means absolute business. He agreed with the notion that Nurse is an ideal coach for his skill set — an aggressive, multi-positional defender who leverages his athleticism into results. Springer's assessment of his new coach suggests he could be ideal for each one of his players.
“You really see that he really tries to push his players, he really believes in his player,” Springer said of Nurse. “And he wants to teach, he wants players to learn and develop under him. So you can definitely see that, and that's a great coach to have.”
A deep belief in his players has been a staple of the atmosphere Nurse-coached teams have. It's what makes Springer's leap in year three seem more attainable than ever. His defense has been the standout skill that made Philly draft him with the 28th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. That's the skill, he says, that will create the impact that puts him in contention for a bench role.
Of course, the consistent questions around Springer come down to his three-point shooting. He can impact the game in more ways than just scoring but, as a supporting cast member for Joel Embiid, he's going to have to be ready to space the floor and fire away. His Summer League performance inspired only shreds of confidence. Coupled with a 25.0-percent clip across six Summer League games was consistent confidence in letting his shot go.
“It's coming along great,” Springer said. “[The coaching staff] has been in the gym with me every day. It's definitely coming along. I've been feeling good. They've been feeling good about it. So, we'll see when the season comes.”
There isn’t one specific tweak Springer is looking to make in his shot. To him, it's simply about feeling good when the shot goes up. The Sixers will require him to bomb away from three-point land. Hesitation to let it fly that lets defenses crowd the paint will pay for his ticket to a spot deep on the bench. To him, he has to get his mindset right in order to improve.
“The main thing is confidence,” Springer said. “I shoot it great in workouts, everywhere I shoot is great. So, [it's] really just translating to the game and being able to have the confidence to trust in my shot and trust in my work. So that's the biggest thing.”
Even if he proves to be a legitimate shooter, Springer isn’t guaranteed to get playing time under Nurse. With the ultimate put-up-or-shut-up decree from fans staring them dead in the face, the Sixers have to compete at the highest level possible and Springer's lack of experience works against him.
The James Harden trade-demand situation makes the Sixers' depth chart tough to project but it will feature numerous options at the guard spots. Patrick Beverley, who Springer sees as a veteran that can help him improve, will be looking for a role off the bench along with De'Anthony Melton (unless he gets bumped to the starting lineup in the case of any Harden absence). Springer's aptness to play bigger than his size gives him a good crack at becoming a defensive sparkplug/utilityman. But as he knows all too well, that role must be earned.
“I'm feeling good,” Springer said when asked about his mindset ahead of Sixers training camp. “Nothing's promised. So, at the end of the day, I gotta compete and play the way I know I can play and everything will work itself out.”