PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers faced a tough matchup against the Boston Celtics on the second leg of a back-to-back. Needing to get fresh legs into the game, Nick Nurse turned to Jaden Springer, who wasn’t enough to help the Sixers get the win but did have an individually great performance.

When he was on the floor, Springer was a true game-changer. He scored just nine points in his season-high 20 minutes but shot 4-5 from the field and tallied two steals. The Sixers outscored the Celtics by 20 points in Springer's minutes. He spent most of his time alongside starters but was also a part of Philly's second unit which also included Paul Reed. With him in the game, the Sixers played with genuine energy on a night where they otherwise looked like a tired team playing its third game in four days.

“I feel like I did solid,” Springer said. “Went out there, tried to help the team as best as I can, just give some energy. That's all I was trying to do.”

Although the Sixers have needed to go deeper into their bench with Nico Batum and Kelly Oubre Jr. out, Springer didn’t get any minutes in Philly's game last night against the Indiana Pacers. While that did help keep him fresh against the Celtics, he possesses the athletic gear, defensive chops and basketball IQ that should allow him to play more often in the eyes of Joel Embiid.

“He was great,” Embiid said of Springer. “He's a guy that comes in, he works hard. He should definitely get a lot of minutes. He did tonight. He's tough defensively. He knows how to play, cut to the basket. He had a great drive in the first half from the corner and he scored. He's tough. I'm sure as they see, I'm sure they're going to get a better feel and they're gonna start using him more.”

Tyrese Maxey said that he told Springer to be ready to play ahead of the game. Whether it was forcing a turnover on Jayson Tatum, driving through Derrick White to get a layup or hustling to get to a loose ball, he showed his preparation and desire to impact the game.

“I'm proud of him,” Maxey said. “He stays ready, though. He works on his game. He's a competitor. Whoever we ask him to guard, he goes out there and does it. And he's very disruptive while doing it.”

Springer being a competent contributor on offense should be enough for him to earn minutes with the way he defends and makes hustle plays. He's not a natural jump shooter — which is tough to overcome for a guard of his size — and his handle isn’t very tight, especially in the halfcourt. What he lacks in skills on the ball, though, he makes up for with physicality and athletic playmaking off of it.

Nurse, when asked about Springer, said that he “probably” is earning a chance to play more. But his full answer gives the impression that the young guard is still not someone who’s in the 10-man rotation right now.

“He certainly did everything he could possibly do in his minutes tonight,” Nurse said. “Still gotta learn a lot of what's going on with this team. I think that maybe on a night like tonight, when it is a back-to-back, we look at some fresh bodies, just because, and learn. I think that we do have some guys that we probably count on regularly. But there's a heavy schedule and all that kind of stuff. It might be a good idea to just try different rotations on back-to-backs.”

Philly's strength at full depth leaves Springer with a more crowded route to minutes but he should be considered for around 10 minutes per game, especially because the 21-year-old is still of the age where he has so much room to grow. The odds that he will play himself into a major role this season are super slim. Whatever the case, he's staying mentally ready to go.

“I wouldn't say it's tough,” Springer said of his up-and-down playing time. “Gotta be able to adapt to anything, you know? I feel like that's the role that some of us are in right now, just being prepared whenever our number's called.”

Springer may not work for every matchup and it's possible, maybe even probable, that he's not yet cut out for the playoffs, where players who aren’t reliable on offense get exposed. But for the time being, the Sixers would be wise to work him into their game plans more.