2021 NBA Draft Profile: Jaden Springer

A young guard that was one half of a very talented freshman duo at Tennessee, could Jaden Springer’s “jack of all trades, master of none” profile hold him back in the NBA, or will he be a steady contributor?

Position: Guard, Tennessee

Age: 18 (9/25/2002)

Height: 6 ft 4 in

Wingspan: 6 ft 8 in

Weight: 202 lbs.

The Sales Pitch: It’s hard to be both very young and very productive, especially in the SEC, and power guard Jaden Springer did just that. He forced Tennessee’s hand, earning more playing time as the year went on due to his combination of lockdown perimeter defense, finishing, shooting, and passing. He’s not a great shooter, but he picks and chooses his shots wisely. This is a common thread with Springer: he leverages all his skills (and he has many skills) to be more than the sum of his parts. He can guard the best player on another team, initiate offense in a pinch, spot up, attack closeouts and hit middies, draw fouls, and posterize people. All at 18 years old! There’s a million ways he can help a team and he is barely scratching the surface of what he could be as a pro.

Elite Traits/Skills: Strength and physicality with the ball, perimeter defense 

The Devil’s Advocate argument: Asking what Jaden Springer is GREAT at is a very fair question. He was a tremendous finisher, but relies on two-foot jumps, which can limit his bag at the rim. He was a 40% shooter, but on low volume with a little shaky form. He is a great defender, but isn’t quite big enough to bother some 3s, much less some 4s. He can pass, but can’t play point. Are you comfortable drafting an undersized 2 who is good at a few things and great at none? 

The Misconceptions: That he’s a good midrange shooter. While he was able to get to middies as a reliable go-to move (45% of his shots), he only shot 35% on them, an entirely pedestrian number. 

Important numbers: 

• 46/44/81: His slash line

• .44: His free throw rate

• 65%: His FG% at the rim

• 41 inches: His max vert, off two feet

• 24%: His assist rate, exceptional for someone who wasn’t his team’s point guard

• 4.7%: His combined block and steal percentages

Knicks Fit: Good with potential to be great in time. He’s a do-it-all off-ball guard, a small wing who would be able to add another stout point of attack defender to the Knicks’ stout defense. Teams would dare him to shoot, and it would be on the Knicks’ coaches to ensure he was comfortable taking more threes than he did in college and tweaking his form to make that a more likely prospect, but he could also add another dimension to the offense due to his ability to penetrate, draw fouls, finish athletically, and pass — no other player on the Knicks can do all of those things, currently. He would instantly be a Thibs favorite.