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Coming into this draft, it was widely expected and reported that the Sixers were going to deal their first-round pick for some veteran help. In somewhat shocking fashion, the Sixers opted to keep their 28th overall pick and use it on Tennessee guard Jaden Springer.
This draft was completely bonkers with multiple teams in the top half reaching for prospects, which led to some talented players falling into the Sixers’ lap. The Sixers hit a home run with Tyrese Maxey last year at #21, and seem to have replicated the same success this year with Jaden Springer.
Springer was projected to be a middle-to-late first round selection in this draft. Being the second youngest player in this draft at just 18 years of age, he was viewed as a player who can contribute right now and has plenty of room to still grow. He’s a talented shot maker who can create his own offense, and is talented at getting to the rim with ease.
Whoa boy this is a good one from Jaden Springer. Gets BJ Boston to lean/jab forward with the lefty in-and-out, then uses his flexibility + lower body strength to put his hip into Boston's thigh to send him flying underneath the bucket and give himself an easy finish. pic.twitter.com/jXYgaWMX1m
— Daniel Olinger (@dan_olinger) July 25, 2021
Shooting will always be a topic of discussion with Ben Simmons (yes, he’s still a Sixer) and Joel Embiid, and I’m happy to say Springer is a really solid shooter. During his time at Tennessee he shot 43.5% from three on 1.8 attempts-per-game. As our own Dan Olinger pointed out in his NBA Draft Day Notebook, his shot does have a bit of a slower release.
Overall, the Sixers did well considering the circumstances with this pick. While it would’ve been nice to see them land an additional veteran bench player, this is a very solid pick at the end of the first round. There’s also an outside chance that they can use Springer as sweetener in a potential deal, as I’m sure there’s many other teams that were eyeing the young guard.
We’ll have more on Jaden Springer in the coming days to get you all familiar with him. This is just the solid start to the Sixers’ draft, as they also own selections at the end of the second round with picks #50 and #53, respectively. Liberty Ballers will keep you updated with any and all draftings and transactions that may take place over the next few hours.