What does Jaden Springer bring to Boston Celtics?

On Thursday, the NBA trade deadline came and went, with plenty of activity around the league shaking things up. With the Celtics acquiring Xavier Tillman from the Memphis Grizzlies Wednesday afternoon, there was buzz on what else Brad Stevens could whip up to round out the roster before the clock struck 3 pm EST.

Boston moved on from two of their offseason signings in Lamar Stevens as part of the Tillman trade and sent Dalano Banton to the Portland Trail Blazers for a heavily-protected second round pick. Right before the deadline passed, the Celtics pulled off one more trade, this time with the Philadelphia 76ers for guard Jaden Springer at the cost of a second round pick. With the move, Brad Stevens has used the $6.2 Million TPE left from the Grant Williams sign-and-trade, and with one more roster spot to fill, the team still has some flexibility to add one more player via the buyout market.

So, who is Jaden Springer? For starters, he was drafted by Philadelphia 28th overall in the 2021 draft out of the University of Tennessee where he played alongside Keon Johnson. At 202 lbs. and 6’3” tall with a wingspan of nearly 6’8”, the young guard has some size and could realistically slot in either guard spot, or even potentially at the small forward with certain lineups.

If you read through the comments under that Woj bomb, Sixers fans seem up in arms over the move, perplexed why Philadelphia would move on from a young developmental player for so little. As recently as October, Liberty Ballers writer Daniel Olinger was praising Springers improvements, specifically on the defensive end. From a 76ers standpoint, strengthening a direct rival in the wake of Joel Embiid’s injury and essentially giving up on a young developmental guard doesn’t add up.

From a Celtics perspective, the team gains a cost-controlled player on the books up to the 2025 offseason, where Springer can test restricted free agency. Between his untapped potential and his contract situation, swinging a deal and moving on from Banton in favor of Jaden Springer makes a lot of sense.

Right off the bat, let’s take a look at some of Jaden Springer’s strengths, namely his point of attack defense and defensive versatility.

POA Defense

The biggest strength by far for Springer is his point of attack (or POA) defense. Per Basketball Index, a Point of Attack defender is a guard who is responsible for covering smaller ballhandlers in the pick-n-roll as well as on the perimeter in isolation.

In the case of Jaden Springer, his on-ball defense has been outright stellar in his limited minutes, including in his game against the Boston Celtics during the In-Season Tournament back in November. Beyond reports of strong endorsements from former Sixers staffers now with the Celtics, this particular game and Springer’s defense on Jayson Tatum may have caught the attention of Brad Stevens.

On this play, Springer is getting back on defense and set as Jayson Tatum brings the ball up. Springer hasn’t even gotten settled in as he keeps a watchful eye on Tatum, and it paid off. As Tatum just about crosses halfcourt, Tatum turns his head in the direction of Derrick White, telegraphing the pass to the defense long before the ball ever left his hand. Springer makes the read before Derrick White even realized the ball was coming, quickly jumps the passing lane, and he’s off to the races with a breakaway dunk, flashing his athleticism in the process.

Same game, another steal by Springer on Jayson Tatum. On this possession, Springer meets Tatum high up the court and gets set in a wide defensive stance. Tatum is just getting settled and looks to make his move as his screener, Svi Mykhailiuk, comes up behind Springer ready to set the pick. Springer can feel Svi getting set, and knowing that the pick is coming from the right, knows that Tatum will be cutting to the left. Springer anticipates Tatum’s handle changing hands, waits for Tatum to try and make his move, and cleanly picks Tatum’s pocket for another breakaway slam.

There’s a certain brand of chaos that comes with Springer’s on-ball defense; he doesn’t give up on plays, he fights through screens, and he’s just downright disruptive. His quickness and athleticism allow him to stick with ballhandlers, and it’s that mix of physical gifts that allow Springer to make big plays, whether it’s disrupting shots, picking passing lanes or rising up to block shots.

Speaking of blocks, here’s an excellent example of what Springer is capable of in transition defense. After Hawks forward Jalen Johnson snags the defensive rebound, he immediately starts to get out in transition. At this point, Springer is already back on the defensive end, and after anticipating Johnson’s drive to the hoop, he quickly cuts into Johnson’s driving lane and gets airborne to make the contest. Springer almost floats in the air and gets a clean block on Johnson, despite the Hawks forward having 4” and 15 lbs. on him.

On this possession, Springer starts off by getting his pocket picked cleanly by the Hawks, with Saddiq Bey recovering the ball and getting out and running in transition. Springer is right on his tail, keeping himself in the play as Bey goes for the layup. It ends in a chase down block by Springer, a Marcus Smart-esque makeup play after the turnover.

One of the best parts about this play in particular is Springer’s body control, considering his momentum was carrying him forward as he got airborne. While going up for the block, Springer keeps his body as straight and upright as possible, including his arms and hands to avoid fouling. Instead of putting Bey at the free throw line, the result is a clean block.

Springer’s on-ball defense is impressive over his limited minutes, and the stats back that up over his 26 games in Philadelphia this season. Per Cleaning The Glass, Springer is in the 99th percentile for both block percentage and steal percentage, as well as being in the 98th percentile for offensive rebounding percentage.

Even as a developmental young player, Springer was starting to get some serious minutes this season with Philadelphia, and it’s in no small part to his knack with POA defense. He’s capable of making big plays on ballhandlers, forcing turnovers, and his athleticism and speed allow him to either get out in transition or get back on defense effectively.

The biggest issue here is his penchant for fouls, as he ranks in the 2nd percentile in foul percentage as well as off-ball defense. On-ball, he’s handful, but needs to get a bit better when guarding off-ball, knowing when to help and staying in good defensive position. Sounds a little familiar, right? Jokes aside, in a defense that can be switch-heavy, Springer will be expected to hone his awareness in off-ball situations. He has gotten better in that regard as well this season, as is evident in the clip below.

Waiting over by the perimeter, Springer sees Jonathan Kuminga trying to break down his man on the baseline. Springer anticipates Kuminga’s drive, and right as the ballhandler goes to make a spin move to cut back baseline, Springer swoops in to pick his pocket. His good defensive read and effort leads to a transition bucket for Tobias Harris on the other end.

Here’s another example of Springer playing some smart off-ball defense as well as flashing some of his slashing ability. Brandin Podziemski is handling the ball defended by Kenyon Martin Jr., with Springer lurking nearby and sagging off Andrew Wiggins. As the ballhandler makes his move and is preoccupied with the defender in front of him, Springer pokes the ball loose, gets out in transition, and makes a nice little euro step into a teardrop jumper over a taller defender in Dario Šarić.

Defensive Versatility

What does Brad Stevens love more than anything in the world? Defensive versatility! It’s one of the aspects that Stevens valued as a coach, and it’s been a focus for him as he’s built out the Celtics roster around Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. For example, Marcus Smart brought so much value on defense in Boston due to his ability to guard multiple positions, and it allows a team to run a switch-heavy system.

In Springer’s case, his ability to guard a variety of ballhandlers has been on display a great deal this season in Philadelphia, especially against some of the league’s best isolation scorers. Some of the work that Springer did on Steph Curry, Trae Young, and Luka Doncic is mighty impressive.

Take this play for example, where Springer is tasked with guarding Steph Curry. Kevon Looney comes up on the right side of Springer to set the pick and get Curry open at the top of the key. The screen forces a switch and gets Paul Reed on Steph, with Tyrese Maxey sagging off his man to play help defense with Reed. While all of that’s going on, Springer fights like crazy to go through Looney’s screen.

Looney finally starting to roll towards the basket, with a wide open lane due to Paul Reed getting switched onto Curry. However, Springer is still in the play due to his tenacity, tips Curry’s pass away to a waiting Tyrese Maxey, who runs it all the way up the court for a transition bucket.

A limited sample size against one of the league’s greatest shooters, but nevertheless impressive on Springer’s part, with the only made shot coming from a contested step back three pointer (Curry’s signature move). Let’s have a look at Springer on Luka Doncic.

Doncic is one of the most gifted offensive players in the league, with a physical frame capable of bouncing off defenders, creating space while also drawing contact and making circus shots. When tasked with guarding him, Springer successfully held his own.

On this play, the 76ers are still getting back on defense, with Luka Doncic bringing the ball up in a transition opportunity for the Mavericks. Springer is the ball stopper, meeting Luka close to halfcourt and stopping him from getting a full head of steam going towards the basket. Doncic tries a spin move before making his drive to the basket, but Springer reads it perfectly and keeps in front of him. Doncic keeps heading towards the hoop, with Springer keeping his arms back, his feet moving, and using his body to stay in front. Once Luka goes up for the shot, Springer perfectly strips Doncic of the ball and notches the steal.

Another one of the league’s most gifted offensive talents is Atlanta Hawks Trae Young. A lethal shooter from range and crafty with the dribble, Trae can be a tough assignment for any defender. In his matchups against Jaden Springer, however, Young faced some struggles.

At the start of this clip, the Hawks forced a switch to get Pat Beverley off of Trae Young. Springer switches onto Young quickly, meeting him right at the perimeter. Young tries to create space by putting a shoulder into Springer’s chest, but the defender holds his own and Trae bounces off of him, almost forcing the ballhandler to pick up his dribble. By staying in front of Trae, Springer forces the star guard into a tough step back shot (and a long two, no less).

Springer also shows the ability to adapt in-game defensively. For example, in the play above, Springer is tasked with guarding Trae far behind the three point line with seconds left in the third quarter. Onyeka Okongwu comes over to set Trae loose with a pick, Springer doesn’t fight through the screen and sags off; Pat Beverley doesn’t pick up on the switch, giving Trae Young a wide open dagger from deep. Let’s fast forward a little bit.

Same game, but now later in the fourth quarter with Springer again guarding Trae Young. Jalen Johnson is the screener this time, with Springer anticipating the high pick in a similar situation as before. This time, Springer doesn’t sag off, and instead tries to cut around the screen, ultimately getting up a late shot contest to force the miss from Trae. Not a perfect defensive possession by any means, but showing progress in his ability to read the situation and stay involved in the play.

Part of what makes Trae so lethal is his speed, with his smaller size allowing him to blow past bigger defenders. In this clip, Young does his best to shake Jaden Springer off of him, with the defender keeping his arms up and out in order to avoid fouling. Trae cuts to the basket and stops on a dime, creating some separation from Springer but not for long. Springer responds quickly, and manages to get a strong contest on Young to force the missed jumper.

In his defense against Curry, Doncic and Young, Jaden Springer flexed a lot of his defensive versatility and his ability to guard ballhandlers of all different sizes. There’s good reason that Nick Nurse, a defensive-minded coach, was so willing and ready to give the young guard minutes on a team with championship aspirations; it’s even more telling that some of the Celtics coaching staff with 76ers ties advocated for Brad Stevens to go after Springer via trade.

While he’s a young player with defensive promise, he’s still a work in progress. His offensive game is limited by his poor shooting, specifically from deep. In smaller sample sizes, his three point shot has been effective, but as his minutes have gone up, his percentages have gone down. It may be part of the reason why Sixers GM Daryl Morey was willing to move on from the young guard despite his defensive acumen.

At age 21, he’s got room to grow and work on his game, and should be able to get some bench minutes with his defensive abilities alone. Springer might play a good chunk of time in Maine, where the reps could definitely help his shooting, and the presence of former Sixers coaches like Sam Cassell can make for a good support system for encouragement and development.

All in all, it’s easy to see why Brad Stevens would swing a deal for Jaden Springer, as he checks so many boxes for what makes a solid rotational wing. Add in the fact that it cost only a second round pick to get him and his contract situation, and it becomes clearer from a Boston perspective. The biggest concern is Springer getting his three point shot back on track, but if the Celtics can work on it with him, they may have found another strong, cost-controlled defender to add to their bench rotation.