Philadelphia 76ers: Jaden Springer could shine paired with James Harden

There are games where the Philadelphia 76ers can get away with only having two plus-defenders in their starting lineup.

Over the past six games, from March 5th through the 16th, the Sixers have only allowed 10 opposing starters to score 20-plus points, which, considering the team’s 4-2 record over that stretch, isn’t too shabby. With Matisse Thybulle holding down the fort on the perimeter and Joel Embiid holding down the interior in the paint, the Sixers have an ability to do some gamesmanship depending on the contest and slow down opposing scorers with a smart gameplan.

Against a team like the Orlando Magic or the Cleveland Cavaliers, this two-pronged defensive strategy works just fine. Throw in Danny Green – if healthy – coming off the bench and the role-of-the-dice chance of Tobias Harris, James Harden, and/or Tyrese Maxey turning in a choice effort on the opposite end of the court, and you’re left with a team that justifiably ranks seventh in points allowed and 10th in defensive rating.

But when you look back on that six-game stretch, which featured five playoff-bound teams, there’s a trend that could continue to hurt the Sixers down the stretch and come the postseason, depending on the matchup: What if an opposing team has three (or more) good scorers?

I know, crazy, right? The Sixers have been trying to have four 20-point scorers in their starting lineup for years now, and yet, they somehow don’t think other teams can load up on firecracker scorers too?

Wild.

Of the 10 players who scored 20-plus versus the Sixers over the past six games, seven came in three games, with the Brooklyn Nets boasting three 20-point scorers, the Chicago Bulls having two, and the Denver Nuggets having two more. When one of those scorers is a center, like Nikola Jokić, the Sixers can still match up fairly well, as Embiid is one of the best defensive centers in the NBA, but when it’s a team like the Nets, who had two guards score 20-plus and a forward drop 25, it creates some serious issues for Doc Rivers, Dan Burke, and company.

*sigh* If only the Philadelphia 76ers had a 19-year-old burgeoning defensive ace just waiting in the wings – or in Wilmington, Delaware – for an opportunity to lock up on a would-be scorer. Oh wait, they do; they just refuse to play him.

The Philadelphia 76ers could actually use a player like Jaden Springer.

Why did the Philadelphia 76ers draft Jaden Springer? It’s not because he was a ready-made upper-class rotational contributor like Herbert Jones, as Springer was one of the youngest players in the 2021 NBA Draft and was considered a project by even the most optimistic draft evaluators. They also didn’t draft Springer to serve as an on-roster trade chip, as if that was the case, he’d have been traded to Brooklyn as part of the James Harden trade or to a team like the Oklahoma City Thunder for a more ready-made contributor like Kenrich Williams.

Heck, if the Sixers wanted to maximize the 28th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft with a proven commodity, they had an $8.2 million trade exception from the Al Horford-Danny Green swap that could have fetched Philly a quality contributor with a first-round pick thrown in to sweeten the deal, players like Cedi Osman, Chris Boucher, and Kevon Looney, if you care to wonder “what if?”

No, one can assume that Daryl Morey ultimately used the 28th overall pick on Springer because he and his scouts genuinely liked his game and wanted to add his talents to the Sixers.

Controversial take? Maybe so, but on paper, it makes sense. For years now, the Sixers have been looking to add defenders to help to slow down scorers like Kyrie Irving, Kyle Lowry, and Jrue Holiday. Mind you, the decision to trade up and draft Matisse Thybulle was a home run, as he became the first player in NBA history to make an All-Defense team while only averaging 20 minutes per game, but with Ben Simmons’ status very much in the air, the Sixers needed a little extra defensive firepower to slow down the scoring threats across the East and beyond.

While Springer’s offensive game coming out of Tennessee was very much considered a work in progress, his defense felt much more NBA-ready.

Measuring in at 6-foot-4, 204 pounds with a 6-foot-7.5 wingspan, Springer is an explosive, athletically gifted combo guard with a game reminiscent of one-time Boston Celtic Avery Bradley. Like Bradley, Springer has the size of a shooting guard, but the game of a small forward and has an ability to lock down on either backcourt scorer thanks to his hops, wingspan, and strong defensive instincts. When tasked with playing alongside a less-than elite shooting point guard like Tyrese Maxey or Rajon Rondo, players like Bradley and Springer – at least right now – can create offensive issues due to the average-at-best floor spacing, but when either is paired up with a dynamic scorer like mid-2010s Isaiah Thomas or current James Harden, well, their abilities to shine on defense and be a tertiary threat on offense can be incredibly effective.

Do you like the role Maxey plays when paired up with Harden in the starting five, cutting to the basket, setting screens, and hitting open 3s when they are wide open? Well, Springer could fill that very same role on the second unit in place of Shake Milton and provide a (hopefully) higher defensive floor than any of the team’s non-Thybulle/Green backcourt options.

Would it work? Would Jaden Springer be able to turn in net (rating) positive production coming off the bench in the 10 or so minutes James Harden plays without Tyrese Maxey? Would playing alongside one of the NBA’s preeminent scorers cover up Springer’s limited offensive game and slowly allow him to blossom into a two-way player? Or should the Philadelphia 76ers continue to roll with what’s sort of been working even if it’s becoming easier and easier to exploit by opposing teams as the game film piles up? Only time will tell, but I’d certainly rather see Springer put up 10 minutes a night in Philly guarding guys like Kyrie Irving than go for 30 a night in Delaware, even if it’s just for the remainder of the regular season.