3 Studs, 3 duds from Celtics win in preseason opener vs. Nuggets

Dud - Jaden Springer

It’s tough to draw judgment on a player in so few minutes, but Jaden Springer looked pretty rough in the playing time they got in this one.

Springer was amazing in the one Summer League game he appeared in. He played so well that the Celtics shut him down for the rest of the event. But he wasn’t great in this one, and to make matters worse, he seemingly upset Joe Mazzulla at one point during the game.

After taking (and missing) a contested layup at the rim, Springer was clearly frustrated. He immediately fouled the Nuggets ball-handler, and Mazzulla didn’t look too pleased on the sidelines.

Mazzulla put his hands out with his palms up as almost to say, ‘What are you doing?’ It’s one thing to take a bad shot, and it’s another to compound that mistake with a dumb foul.

Again, one preseason game only means so much. Springer’s still a great defender and showed some offensive potential in Summer League, but this wasn’t an amazing start.

And on top of all of that, Springer failed to convert a shot in this game. He missed the one three he took, and all of his looks inside the arc didn’t fall, either.