NBA Playoffs: Ranking all five former Vols signed to current postseason teams
The NBA Playoffs began Tuesday night with the Minnesota Timberwolves beating the Los Angeles Clippers and the Brooklyn Nets beating the Cleveland Cavaliers in play-in games, both securing spots. However, for former Tennessee basketball players, it begins Wednesday with one of them taking part in a play-in game.
There are five players from Rocky Top who are currently signed to teams in the postseason. Now, just because they are signed doesn’t mean they are expected to contribute or are even on the active roster. However, they have all seen some action this year.
As we get set to break down the former Vols in this year’s NBA Playoffs, we’ll rank them based on how much expected contributions will come from them. Part of that will be based on how long they are expected to be playing given the teams they are on. This is our breakdown of all five former Vols in the basketball postseason.
93. Guard. Philadelphia 76ers. Jaden Springer. 5. player. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis
6’4″ 202 pounds
Funny enough, Jaden Springer was one of two one-and-dones for the Vols in 2021. The other one, Keon Johnson, saw more action and would have made the list and even been higher than Springer had he not been traded from the Clippers to the Portland Trail Blazers midseason. However, that trade kept him off.
Anyway, Springer was taken by the Sixers with the 28th pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. He has only appeared in two games and a total of six minutes all season. In four minutes against the Washington Wizards, he had two points, two rebounds and two blocked shots. Those are all his stats from the year.
That was a 117-96 win for Philly back on Dec. 26. He spent most of the year with the Delaware Blue Coats in the NBA G League, where he played 19 games and averaged 14.9 points per game. Primarily a scoring guard, Springer likely won’t play much in the NBA Playoffs, as the Sixers are loaded, but he’s on the roster.