Tyrese Maxey expresses pride in young Sixers guard Jaden Springer

NEW YORK — Third-year Philadelphia 76ers guard Jaden Springer has begun making real strides in earning the trust of his teammates and the coaching staff.

In his first season with new coach Nick Nurse, Springer is averaging 12.4 minutes per game while already playing nine games. He’s averaging 3.9 points and 2.0 rebounds, and his defensive work continues to impress.

After scoring 10 points and knocking down two 3s in Sunday’s 121-99 win over the Brooklyn Nets on the road, Tyrese Maxey expressed pride in the young Springer.

“Extremely,” Maxey began. “I just told him I was proud of him. He’s coming along. He’s shooting the ball. He’s out there hustling. I’m gonna have to tell him to go guard the ball. When he comes in the game and tries to guard somebody on the wing, I’m like ‘Where are you going? This is your job. Come over here. Let’s go,’ but he’s been great, man.”

Considering Maxey is 23 years old and in his fourth season now, this is the first time he has been able to get on younger teammates in the rotation. This is a moment he is going to relish.

“It’s funny, I’m older than him,” Maxey smiled. “So this is the first time I’ve had someone younger than me in the rotation so I can get on him a little bit.”