Philadelphia 76ers: Will Jaden Springer ever get a chance to shine?

When the Philadelphia 76ers selected  Jaden Springer 28th overall in the 2021 NBA Draft, it took many a fan, pundit, and outside observer by surprise.

Mind you, this was relatively early in the “Ben Simmons saga,” with some naive optimists still assuming there was no way the All-Star guard would sit out an entire season to facilitate a trade but still, the pick had value around the association. Factor in the $8.2 million Al Horford trade exception and George Hill‘s contract still being on the books, and many assumed the team would package the pick with another asset to secure a quality rotation piece at the bare minimum.

Instead, Philly landed a relatively raw combo guard out of Tennessee who many felt was a year away from being a year away from a playoff rotation.

Was that the right deal? I guess that depends on who was available at the time. Does Jaden Springer remain one of the team’s best tradable assets? If he continues to shred it up in the G-League, that very much is the case. But to truly put the 19-year-old on the map, it’d be nice to see him translate his on-court success from Wilmington to the City of Brotherly Love. Unfortunately, the Philadelphia 76ers don’t seem to have much interest in letting that happen, even as the team’s rotation continues to shuffle around depending on the day.

Give Jaden Springer a few minutes, the Philadelphia 76ers.

Jaden Springer had played six minutes with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Six.

… actually, that’s not true. Technically, Springer was on the field for 2:04 on opening night and for 3:34 more on a post-Christmas bout versus Washington, bringing his grand total of on-court time to 5:38, but for the sake of simplicity, the NBA has rounded the number up to six, so who are we to argue?

In those six minutes of action – but really, in those 3:34 minutes versus Washington – Springer scored two points on one shot attempt, recorded a rebound on each end of the court and, as improbably as it may sound, had two blocks.

Are those numbers good for a rookie? Yes. Are those numbers good for any player, period? Yes as well, even Matisse Thybulle would have a tough time getting two blocks in under four minutes, but it’s especially more impressive when you consider it was only the second time the rookie guard was on an NBA court.

And then? Nothing.

Now granted, that isn’t all on the Sixers’ coaching staff. Springer suffered a concussion shortly thereafter that kept him on the injury report for a few weeks, but Philadelphia’s other collegiate Volunteer has been good for some time now, as evidenced by his recent production with the Delaware Blue Coats, where he’s averaging 17.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, .8 blocks, and 2.4 steals per game, all the while hitting 48.4 percent of his shots from the field and 30.3 percent from beyond the arc.

Outside of that 3 point shooting percentage, Springer’s numbers are all very good G-League-wise, and he certainly deserves a bigger look at the NBA level, but to this point, that really hasn’t happened. No, despite conceivably being up for the task of the same sort of role Charlie Brown Jr. has filled so far during his time with the team, Springer has either been stuck in street clothes on the bench or in Delaware altogether.

Why? Honestly, your guess is as good as mine.

Will Jaden Springer become a player for the Philadelphia 76ers down the line? Will he even be on the team come February 11th, once the 2022 NBA trade deadline has passed? Only time will tell, but after watching Springer – and Paul Reed for that matter – excel with the Delaware Blue Coats, it’s puzzling to see the coaching staff continue to go to players like Myles Powell instead when the opportunity for an expanded bench presents itself.