Jaden Springer was simply beginning to latch on in Philadelphia. After getting inconsistent taking part in time for a lot of the season, the third-year wing earned 22.1 minutes per evening, which included a begin, over a five-game stretch in late January and early February. A worthwhile alternative had arrived for him.
Then, minutes earlier than the Feb. 8 commerce deadline, Springer received a name that he had been traded from the 76ers to the Celtics.
“I was kind of surprised a little bit,” Springer admitted at his Celtics locker on Tuesday earlier than he confronted his former staff for the primary time. “It caught me off guard.”
It’s unusual for rival groups to commerce with each other, particularly groups with as a lot historical past because the Celtics and Sixers. In the aftermath of the commerce, 76ers GM Daryl Morey defined that the 21-year-old Springer didn’t match their timetable to assist a playoff time and {that a} second-round decide was extra worthwhile to them.
“I’m OK with the decision they made,” Springer stated. “It’s fine with me. I’m happy to be here.”
Entering Tuesday, Springer had made simply two appearances for the Celtics, in rubbish time of their wins over the Bulls and Knicks final week. He missed his first 4 video games with the C’s recovering from an ankle damage. But nearly three weeks for the reason that commerce, his acclimation to Boston appears to be going effectively. He stated the presence of assistant Sam Cassell, who coached him in Philadelphia, has been useful, and he enjoys his new atmosphere.
“My first impression has been great,” Springer stated. “They’re all serious about their jobs, about winning, about the team success. So you’ve got to respect that.”
Sixers coach Nick Nurse, who’s in his first season with the staff, didn’t straight reply if he was stunned to see Springer traded. But he wished him effectively.
“Listen, he does a couple of things really well,” Nurse stated. “He really defends the ball and he really gets the ball to the rim with some physicality and he’s very young. He’s still working on the kind of shooting piece, but he was improving on that as well. I mean, I hope he continues to improve and finds his way in the league.”
It’s unclear but what Springer’s position will appear like with the Celtics. At this stage, he’s extra of a developmental piece for a loaded staff on the cusp of a championship. But with the Celtics wanting like they’ll very possible wrap up the No. 1 seed within the Eastern Conference – they had been up eight video games with 25 video games left to play – there could possibly be loads of alternative obtainable for Springer down the stretch to indicate his new staff what he can do.
“(I’m) continuing to learn from these guys,” Springer stated. “We’ve received some nice guards, guys which have been across the league for some time and have profitable expertise. So having the ability to study from them and simply assist my recreation develop and take it to the following stage. That could be huge. …
“Any opportunity you get in this league, on this team, is big. You’ve just got to take advantage of any opportunity given to you and make the best of it.”
Stressing particulars
The Celtics, regardless of getting into Tuesday on a season-long eight-game profitable streak, nonetheless really feel like they’ve loads of progress to do earlier than the playoffs. One of Joe Mazzulla’s focuses is on situational basketball. He singled out two current conditions he was sad about.
“Situational basketball, game management, game awareness,” Mazzulla stated. “Last two video games, in finish of quarters, we gave up a 2-for-1 and gave their staff the final play of the sport and value us 5 factors. We missed 2-for-1s due to an offensive rebound. And so, situational basketball is the distinction between profitable and dropping on possessions. And so simply continually rising on these issues. Just ensuring we get higher on the fundamentals and the small print.
“There are a lot of games left. Everybody likes to look for the next thing, narrative, and so everybody’s worried about the next step. But we got 20-something games left, they’re really hard games, and we have to continue to play hard and play at a high level with discipline on both ends of the floor.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com