Former Sixers Scout Weighs in on Rookie Jaden Springer

Not many expected Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey to use the team's No. 28 selection during the 2021 NBA Draft. However, the former Houston Rockets GM shocked the basketball world last month when the Sixers remained where they were at in the first round and handed in their selection.

18-year-old guard Jaden Springer was the 76ers' selection in the first round of the draft. Coming out of Tennessee, Springer just wrapped up his freshman season. Instead of heading back to college for another year to boost his stock, the young guard gambled on himself and was one and done.

Now, he's preparing for the next phase of his career in the NBA. It was slightly shocking when the Sixers made the Springer selection considering he was barely linked to Philly throughout the pre-draft phase. 

However, one former scout wasn't too surprised, considering he thought Springer was selected "right around where he should have gone."

In a recent sit-down with Sixers Wire's Ky Carlin, former 76ers scout Michael VandeGarde discussed Philly's first-round selection. While explaining that the Sixers weren't in a position to get a premier talent late in the first round, he believes Morey and the front office made the right decision by gambling on Springer's upside since he's such a young prospect with tons of room for development.

"I think he’s got the ball well, obviously, that’s something that they need for spacing around (Joel) Embiid and, if (Ben) Simmons is around, Simmons as well, so I like those two attributes from him. He showed a little versatility in the fact he passes the ball a little bit. He had three assists per game basically at Tennessee last year; would love to see his rebounding a little bit higher or this or that, but he had great numbers for a really young kid at Tennessee and the SEC, so I think he probably went right around where he should have gone."

Will Springer make an impact on the Sixers in year one? VandeGarde believes it's doubtful more than anything since the 76ers are in win-now mode. Regardless of their current status as a franchise, the Sixers still need to ensure they have young talent on board developing for the future -- and they have that now in Springer.

While the Sixers will certainly be on the hunt for more win-now moves as the season approaches and eventually progresses, the front office and the coaching staff will be glad to know they have a "late first, solid pick" stashed away for the future.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.