Jaden Springer arrived at Madison Square Garden three hours before Saturday’s game — before Bus One even made it to the arena. That required his own transportation, and with assistant coaches Tyler Lashbrook and Jermaine Bucknor, Springer took advantage of the extra time on the field before anyone else arrived.
“We’re working here on playing out of that system,” Springer said. CLNS Media/CelticsBlog At New York. “I play off of the reads that I’ll probably have in the game and the situations that I’ll be in. So, I feel like that’s the biggest thing that will help me when I get the chance to go out there and be on the court. I feel like in Philadelphia… they had a big guy in Joel Embiid, so the offense was going through the big man or the point guard, and they were doing pick-and-rolls with each other. Coming here, it’s more about balance. You have a group of guys who can play hoops on the court and all play in different situations , all guys who can attack and play for each other. It’s a big difference.
As Celtics advisor Jeff Van Gundy looked on, Springer shot a three-pointer in the corner, then launched into Bucknor’s downhill attack as he confronted Springer with blocking pads on his hands. Springer ran through it, then several downs later attempted to cause a foul. Lashbrook, who also worked with Springer in Philadelphia, said they don’t call fouls during their drills. After practicing for about 30 minutes, Springer played one minute in the victory, his life for now as he and Xavier Tillman Sr. acclimated to their new team after the trade deadline.
While Springer hit the gym between several stops, including a Florida vacation, during his break, Tillman completely escaped during the week following a frenzied move from Memphis to Boston that included the shock of urban traffic.
Neither player has earned rotation minutes yet. Joe Mazzulla said recently that they will appear situationally as they catch up with Boston’s system, while both players are familiar with their new routine of playing sporadically and taking advantage of the stay ready runs that take place early in the morning alongside staff and other bench players.
“Back in Memphis, they called them play in a group“, Tillman said CLNS/CelticsBlog. “That’s when we had the opportunity to play four-on-four, five-on-five with the coaches and play like a game situation. In my opinion, that’s the only way to improve myself. Obviously you can practice and take shots, but that’s not the same as what you’re going to do in the game. I remember my third season, I asked to be assigned to G, because at At the start of the season, my situation was pretty similar to last year where I wasn’t going to get a lot of minutes and I just didn’t want to lose all the opportunities to sit on the bench and practice. I prefer to play no matter where I play. The groups staying ready, as far as our descent goes… it’s been really good, as has doing some cardio as well.
Sources expect both players to see some playing time later in the year as rest, especially for big men, comes into play ahead of the playoffs. The Celtics play back-to-back games in March against the Wizards and Pistons, then at Detroit and Chicago. A third will take place in April, both at home against the Knicks and the Hornets. Boston already leads the East by 8.0 games and the NBA by 4.5. Five test matches against Cleveland and four high-profile West stars will take place over the next week before the schedule eases into one of the weakest final stretches any team in the league will play (28th in winning percentage).
It’s less clear how much either player will factor in when games count again in the playoffs. Mazzulla said Boston’s bench will consist of Al Horford, Sam Hauser, Payton Pritchard and Luke Kornet when healthy, naming Oshae Brissett on the sidelines of that mix this week. Springer, 21, faces longer odds playing behind three effective guards while he irons out his shooting woes.
His former head coach Nick Nurse wished him luck before Tuesday’s game, emphasizing his youth like Brad Stevens did when he acquired the guard position shortly before the deadline, A surprise as Springer has repeatedly noted. Philadelphia used him for effective spot coverage of Luka Dončić and Steph Curry before the trade, moments that impressed two-way teammate Ricky Council IV.
“It was sad to see him leave, but I’m really happy for him, because (it’s) a good opportunity for him on the best team in the league,” Council IV said. CLNS/CelticsBlog. “I haven’t seen many defenders better than him. So far we have played almost every team in the league. I see him locking down some of my favorite players, so I’m like, keep it up and his offense will follow as well. He puts the work into… physicality, strength, speed, I don’t know what it is. Dog in him. He got it.”
Coach DJ MacLeay and Bucknor have taken over Tillman’s individual work since he arrived in Boston. They also practiced early before games, taking some post touches as well as outside shots, expecting that he would have to space the floor whenever he wasn’t passing dribbles . However, they mainly focus on painting, he said. Tillman has some offensive limitations after a rough season in Memphis, but believes in his ability to post up more often and break down the offensive glass.
A more refined and connected skill set on that end, however, has maintained Luke Kornet’s position as the third big ahead of him. Per 36 minutes, Kornet averaged 12.1 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists on 69.8% shooting in another season of growth. His narrow role on defense opens the door for Tillman to break through in some matchups as one of the game’s highest-rated and most versatile big defenders. He also played heavy minutes in two playoff series, which Kornet didn’t never did. They sat together at a team dinner in Chicago, an early bonding opportunity among new teammates vying for minutes at the same position. Kornet said he welcomed the addition — and didn’t see it that way.
“DJ and Buck have been very good,” Tillman said. “DJ has been really good with the techniques, with my shooting, with my finishing in the post as far as footwork and showing the ball and different things like that. Buck has been really good, because Buck knows how to do hoop. I guard him and he hits jumpers, so I have to adjust how I guard. He has a good idea of what I’m going to have on the court…I’m looking to lock him down every time. We just started the shooting game. He thought he could shoot better than me because I set a lot of screens. I can hoop.
