Jaden Springer Humbly Recalls Block on Celtics’ Jayson Tatum
Sunday night’s matchup between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics offered the first official test of the preseason for young Sixers guard Jaden Springer.
Being that Springer is battling for a spot in the team’s rotation for the first time, many hoped to see some improvements from the young guard as he heads into year three.
Springer not only had a solid first outing with the Sixers this preseason, but he put a stamp on his performance with a highlight block on Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum.
By now, you’ve probably seen it, but in case you forgot, here’s a reminder:
When the Sixers returned to practice on Tuesday afternoon, Springer recalled the block for the first time since it went down. In an attempt to remain as humble as possible, Springer didn’t have much to say other than explaining his mindset while walking back through the play.
“Let me see so, he drove by somebody. I just rolled over for help defense,” Springer told reporters. “I was just going to jump, and he tried to dunk on me. I was like, ‘Aw man, here we go!’ and just met him at the rim.”
While Sixers head coach Nick Nurse waited until the second quarter to utilize Springer in Sunday’s loss to the Celtics, the young former first-round pick took advantage of the 23 total minutes he picked up. Defensively, Springer tacked on a steal and five total rebounds to add to his highlight block on Tatum.
Offensively, Springer made five of his seven shot attempts, going a perfect 2-2 from beyond the arc. He wrapped up the matchup by leading the Sixers in bench scoring with 14 points and added two assists.
Springer will look to build on his strong preseason thus far when the Sixers host the Celtics for their preseason home opener on Wednesday night.
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