Doc Rivers heaps praise on Jaden Springer after Sixers beat Hawks in OT
The Philadelphia 76ers paid a visit to the Atlanta Hawks on Friday on the second night of a back-to-back looking to get on track. They were blown out in the home finale by the Miami Heat on Thursday and they were looking to have a bounce-back effort.
They were able to get all that and more as they rallied from 15 down to beat the Hawks 136-131 in overtime. Philadelphia had nothing to play for as they rested their top six players and the Hawks were fighting for play-in positioning, but the Sixers still were able to rally for the win.
A big reason for it was the play of second-year guard Jaden Springer. Fresh off a G League championship with the Delaware Blue Coats on Thursday, he had 19 points on 8-for-13 shooting, he was 2-for-3 from deep, and he scored seven points in overtime including the game-tying putback dunk with 25.9 ticks left.
“He was great,” coach Doc Rivers told reporters. “He was great defensively. He stayed within his role, right? He did little things. We ran a play down the stretch, that last play, for him to slip to get to the bucket, and that’s why the guys on the bench went nuts because we ran a play for the rook (Springer, who is in his second season) and he executed it. He did a couple of things like that all game so I was really proud of him.”
The 3-pointers were important for Springer. That has to be a big part of his game as he moves forward and the Sixers were very happy with what they saw from him.
“I love that he pulled up twice for the 3 with confidence, because that’s his next step,” Rivers continued. “Defensively, and I’m just gonna keep saying it, he’s an NBA defender. He makes plays, he rebounds the ball, he does a lot of little things.”
To prove Rivers’ point, Springer’s defense on Hawks star Trae Young late in regulation was impressive. Young couldn’t go anywhere on Springer and he was stripped trying to get a shot up before a shot clock violation.
“That was big, and the offensive rebound, too,” Rivers finished. “He’s this kid and I keep saying it, he knows the ball—there’s certain people wherever the ball is that he’s at, you know, same thing in football. There’s certain people to get to the ball. He gets to the ball and that was great.”
Either way, Springer has had one helluva 24 hours. Leading the Blue Coats to the G League title and then having a huge night in Atlanta is a big development for him.
“It’s been amazing,” Springer told NBC Sports Philadelphia in his sideline interview. “It’s been everything I dreamed of. Being able to go to the G League, win a championship, come back today, get a good dub in Atlanta. It’s amazing.”
