Springer happy to be here and learn
Jaden Springer told reporters Tuesday that he wasn’t expecting the trade that brought him to the Celtics. Boston sent a second-round draft pick to Philadelphia in exchange for Springer on Feb. 8.
”I was kind of surprised a little bit. It caught me off guard,” Springer, 21, said. “But I’m OK with the decision they made. It’s fine with me. I’m happy to be here.”
Springer, who was drafted in the first round (28th overall) in 2021 by the 76ers, made a splash in the G-League last year, when he led the Delaware Blue Coats to the championship and was named MVP of the finals after averaging 34 points over the two games.
The 6-foot-4-inch, 202-pound guard’s NBA minutes picked up this season before the trade. He was averaging a career-high 11.8 minutes and played 21 or more in his final three games with Philadelphia.
“He does a couple things really well,” 76ers coach Nick Nurse said before his team lost to the Celtics, 117-99, at TD Garden. “He really defends the ball. He really gets the ball to the rim with some physicality, and he’s very young. He’s still working on the shooting piece but he’s improving on that as well. I hope he continues to improve and find his way in the league.”
Springer made his Celtics debut against his former team. He entered the game with 2:02 remaining and notched a rebound in the box score.
The Celtics have made a strong first impression on Springer. He said the coaching staff has been working to bring him up to speed and the team’s seriousness about winning stands out. The next step for him, he said, is to soak up knowledge from his teammates and continue to hone his skills.
“Continuing to learn from these guys,” Springer said. “We’ve got some great guards, guys that have been around the league for a while and have winning experience. So being able to learn from them and just help my game develop and take it to the next level.”
Unruly crowd of two
A pair of spectators were escorted out through TD Garden’s lower bowl and booted from the game following an exchange with 76ers guard Cameron Payne.
“I just called timeout to make sure nothing happened on our side of it, get Cam out of that, and talk to him,” Nurse said. “I asked him, ‘What’s going on?’ He said the guy was talking. I said don’t go back over there. He said, ‘I got it, I’m good.’ So, just trying to end that.”
Room to improve
Coach Joe Mazzulla identified situational game management and awareness as areas where the Celtics have room for improvement down the stretch.
With 24 games left, the Celtics are in first place in the league’s overall standings. As they prepare for the stretch run, they’re looking to smooth out as many wrinkles as possible.
“Situational basketball is the difference between winning and losing on possessions,” Mazzulla said. “And so, just constantly growing at those things. Just making sure we get better at the fundamentals, the details. There’s a lot of games left. Everybody likes to look for the next thing and we’ve got twentysomething games left. They’re really hard games.
“We have to continue to play hard and play at a high level with discipline.”
MVP talk continues
Celtics forward Jayson Tatum has the fifth-best odds to be named NBA MVP, according to BetMGM. Last week, Mazzulla said Tatum was “underrated” in the MVP conversation.
Mazzulla was asked what qualities he looks for in an MVP candidate, and which piece of criteria should be most important.
“It doesn’t really matter. I don’t have a vote or do that,” Mazzulla said. “But to me, my communication to our guys is just how do you impact winning and the things that go into it? Just being a well-rounded player on both ends of the floor and putting your team in the best position to win a championship.”
76ers center Joel Embiid, who won the award last year, remains out as he recovers from surgery to address a meniscus injury. Players must play in 65 games to be MVP eligible. Embiid, who has played in 34 games, is averaging 35.3 points and
11.3 rebounds this season.
During All-Star weekend, Celtics forward Jaylen Brown said he thought the 65-game requirement is a little too high, suggesting 58 games instead. Mazzulla said Tuesday that he didn’t care to comment on the rule.