76ers: Nick Nurse Credits Jaden Springer, Avoids Overreaction

Nick Nurse’s first game coaching the Philadelphia 76ers featured a Tyrese Maxey masterclass and a little bit of everything from the rotation-hopeful Jaden Springer.

While the latter player’s performance came as the biggest surprise to the Sixers’ fan base, Nurse is keeping his coaching goggles on and reminding everybody of the circumstances in order to avoid getting carried away.

“It’s one game, so you don’t try to go too far,” Nurse told reporters on Tuesday following a practice session, according to NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Noah Levick. “I thought obviously Jaden Springer stood out a great deal in the game. He guarded hard; he rebounded hard; he finished at the basket; he sunk a couple of shots.”

Defense has been Springer’s bread and butter since he entered the league. With a strong frame and the toughness to put it to work on the defensive end, Springer has often been praised for the way he guarded his teammates in practice and his opponents in the G League.

That was on display Sunday night as the Sixers opened their preseason against the Boston Celtics.

Offensively, Springer was viewed as a work in progress when he came to the NBA following his freshman season at Tennessee. Throughout the 2022-2023 season, Springer wanted to improve his shot from all areas of the floor, especially from long range. Again, he showed off his improvements in that department by scoring 14 points in 5-7 shooting from the field, with two three-pointers falling successfully.

“He played very (well),” the head coach added. “I would say that’s probably the guy [who stood out most]. When you’ve got 20 guys out here and you’ve got lots of teams running in and out, you can’t quite notice or focus on everybody, right? But he certainly stood out.”

For established players such as Maxey, the preseason is an opportunity to get back into game shape before the 82-game season. When it comes to a player like Springer, though, it’s an opportunity to state a case for playing time.

One game is all it took for Springer to get on the Sixers coaching staff’s radar for a potential role in the regular season. Now, he’s got to take advantage of the attention gained by building on that first performance, beginning with Wednesday’s rematch against the Celtics at home.