Jaden Springer Struggles in NBA G League Season Debut
Earlier this week, the Philadelphia 76ers assigned their former first-round pick, Jaden Springer, to the team’s NBA G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats.
Springer joined the team’s two-way prospects Mike Foster Jr. and Julian Champagnie.
On Friday night, when the Sixers hosted the New York Knicks in South Philly, the Blue Coats tipped off the 2022-2023 NBA G League season with a matchup on the road against the Greensboro Swarm.
Springer was among the Blue Coats’ starters. He played alongside former Atlanta Hawks guard Skylar Mays, who was signed and waived by the Sixers this offseason before joining the developmental squad.
Springer checked into Friday night’s game for the first six minutes of action. The second-year guard drained just one of his four shots, missing his lone three. He wrapped up the first quarter of action with two of Delaware’s 32 first-quarter points.
The young guard picked up his play in the second quarter. Spending a little under seven minutes on the court, Springer knocked down a three and collected five points before halftime.
Springer’s seven first-half points in 12 minutes turned out to be his only scoring production on the night. Coming out of the half, Springer garnered just three minutes of playing time in the third quarter. He didn’t get up a single shot during that time.
When the fourth quarter rolled around, Springer looked to turn up his production by leading the starting five in shots taken. Unfortunately, he came up way short, going 0-5 from the field in his final seven minutes on the court.
Springer finished the night with seven points, one rebound, and one steal. He also turned the ball over three times in Delaware’s 128-108 loss to the Swarm.
Philly’s two-way prospect Julian Champagnie, who got the nod to start alongside Springer, also struggled from the field. In 26 minutes, Champagnie shot just 1-9 from the field and failed to hit on any of his seven three-point attempts. He finished the game with five points.
Meanwhile, Mike Foster Jr. came off the bench. He found success in that role by collecting 19 points in 24 minutes. Foster’s scoring total came second to Delaware’s Player of the Game, Mac McClung. The former Texas Tech standout lit it up from beyond the arc, knocking down all but one of his threes. McClung finished the matchup tying the game-high of 25 points.
Springer, the Blue Coats, and the Swarm will meet for a second matchup on Saturday night. The two teams will tip off at 7 PM ET.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
