Joel Embiid, 76ers Praise Jaden Springer's Showing vs. Pistons

Joel Embiid, James Harden, and other 76ers standouts had nothing but great things to say about Jaden Springer after Tuesday's game against the Pistons.

With the Philadelphia 76ers up big in the second half of Tuesday’s game, Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers wanted to get his key rotational players off the court. Sixers star James Harden claimed he was urging Rivers to get the second-year guard Jaden Springer on the floor.

“I was telling Doc to put him in earlier,” said Harden after the game. Although Springer was the last reserve to take the floor on Tuesday amid the blowout victory over Detroit, the young guard played took on the most minutes he’s ever seen in his two seasons of NBA action.

And Springer was ready for the moment.

“He puts the work in,” Harden continued. “He goes back and forth between here and the G League. He works extremely hard, and so, let it show off, and tonight he did a really good job on both ends of the ball. Young guys, the more they can get more reps like that in game situations, the more comfortable they’ll be, so he looked really good tonight.”

“He was balling tonight,” Tyrese Maxey added. “He works, man. He really works, and a lot of people don’t see it. Spencer Rivers, he goes at him every single day and makes him work extremely hard when he’s here and not with the G League. I’m not surprised, man. It’s good to see him do that. He goes hard. He definitely does that, but it’s good for him.” 

Talking about Springer’s big night, the common trend was praising the former first-round pick for his work ethic. As the public hasn’t gotten much of a look at Springer’s game beyond the G League since he appeared in just seven games prior to Tuesday night, everybody got to see the work translate to the floor in a game setting, which leaves a guy like Tobias Harris to believe Springer’s future is bright.

“I’m extremely proud of him,” said Harris. “Not only being a young guy in the NBA, but he’s really progressed his game. A lot of people don’t get to see it because of the makeup of the team that we have and the talent, but he’s made great improvements. He’s gonna be a hell of a player in the NBA, in my opinion, just because of his ability to defend and to really defend one through four, even fives. I think he has that down, and once he continues to improve his skills offensively, he’s going to be a really good offensive player as well. So, I think he’s doing all the little things, cutting, rebounding on the offensive end that is going to help his progression on that side of the basketball floor, but I’m always impressed with just seeing his development.”

Sixers center Joel Embiid echoed a similar sentiment as Harris, pointing out the current state of the Sixers’ roster and noting that in a different situation, the young Springer would likely pick up minutes on a regular basis.

“Obviously, we got a lot of good players on the team, and that’s on the staff to make those decisions,” Embiid explained. “He’s a guy that, if you put him out there for the other team, for Detroit, I think he would’ve gotten a lot of minutes. I think he’s talented defensively. I think he has a lot of potential on that end, and then offensively, just being a slasher, just using his quickness. I think he can get a lot of minutes, but when you’re on a winning team, and there’s a lot of guys that can play, it’s gonna happen. I think he’s pretty talented, and he’s just got to get a chance.”

Sixers guard Shake Milton found himself in a similar position as Springer early on in his career. Although Milton was a second-round pick that started his career off with a two-way contract, the guard knows what it’s like to split time between the NBA and the G League, working to find a way to garner minutes on the main roster by taking advantage of scattered opportunities. And Milton was happy to see Springer land an opportunity on Tuesday.

“I’m proud of him. I’m happy for him,” said Milton. “I see how hard he works every single day. He’s in the gym nonstop. He’s one of our defensive stoppers. We look at him, just the way he’s built, he can have an effect on the game anytime he really chooses to and gets the opportunity to, and to see him come out and play like that tonight, I’m just happy. Hopefully, he can just keep building on it.”

With his eight minutes of playing time on Tuesday, Springer was active on both ends of the floor. He finished the game by going 4-4 from the field and 2-2 from the charity stripe, scoring a career-high of ten points. He also finished the game with two offensive rebounds, one assist, and one steal on the defensive end. The sophomore guard helped the 76ers close out the night with a 147-116 win over the Pistons. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.