Before I begin, a few disclaimers: first, this piece – and the series as a whole – is not meant to hate on these young men. Anyone with half a brain knows that any draft candidate is an exceptional basketball player. It’s simply that we all have preferences – for who we want on our team, how we want the team built, how we think players complement each other, etc.
So when I call myself a non-believer, it’s not that I don’t believe these guys can become good NBA basketball players; it’s that I don’t understand the hype and/or I don’t believe they are the best fit for my New York Knicks.
Second, come July 29th, I am going to immediately get on board with whoever Leon Rose, Scott Perry, Walt Perrin, Worldwide Wes, and everyone else in that war room pick. Not only because they’ve proven to know what they’re doing, but also because I’ve proven time and time again that I do not. Forgetting the fact that I was disappointed in both NY Knicks’ picks last year (I couldn’t have been more wrong), the players I featured in this series prior to the 2020 Draft – LaMelo Ball, Aleksej Pokusevski, and Killian Hayes – all surpassed my expectations to varying degrees.
Like every draft-obsessed fan, I have many opinions, and most of them end up way, way off.
NY Knicks: Scouting report on Jaden Springer
Which is why I like to enlist the help of smarter basketball minds; helping me out this year is Stewart Zahn, whose past includes work for the Minnesota Timberwolves and whose present scouting reports can be found on Roll Call Sports Network.
In this first installment of a 3-part series, we’re discussing Jaden Springer, the 6’4 freshman guard from Tennessee: