Every time Tennessee gets a commitment in either football or men’s basketball, we will write up an impact report looking at what that recruit does well, what we feel he needs to improve in his game, and what his projected impact with the Vols could be over the next few years.
Latest Commit: Jaden Springer, SG
Height/Weight: 6-foot-5, 195 pounds
School: IMG Academy (Florida)
Home Town: Mint Hill, NC
Rankings
247Sports Composite: No. 16 overall, No. 4 SG
247Sports: No. 17 overall, No. 4 SG
Rivals: No. 15 overall, No. 4 SG
Notable Offers: North Carolina, Kansas, Memphis, Michigan, Florida
What we like:
In terms of a pure scorer, there aren’t many better than Jaden Springer in the 2020 class. The elite guard can hit shots at all three levels of the court. He can pull up and hit a three or take a pass and release from deep, he can nail jumpers from the mid-range, and he has the skill to hit floaters and sky for dunks, too. Springer is quick, and he’s more physical than you might imagine, too. In fact, his strength is a huge asset for his game. He’s developed better passing skills over the last year-plus. Springer has excellent footwork, and he uses that to create separation.
Springer isn’t just all offense, though. Defensively, he uses that same physicality to wear down his opponent and is usually draped all over the guard he’s matched up with. He’s not just a perimeter defender, either; Springer isn’t afraid to guard near or in the post.
Places to improve:
Aside from working a little bit on the smoothness of his ball handling and continuing to improve as a passer, Springer has a pretty ready-made game for the next level. There’s a reason he’s a five-star, after all. He does need to get a little better with the ball in his hands as the primary ball handler, but he likely won’t play that role a ton at UT. He’s gotten better in that regard over the last year, and with Rick Barnes and this staff developing him, he’ll only continue to improve. Springer has been nursing a slight injury over the last few months, but it’s not expected to be anything serious that will hamper his growth and development.
Analysis:
With both Lamonte Turner and Jordan Bowden set to graduate after this season, the Vols have a need for instant impact guards to come in next season. UT already has Keon Johnson committed, and Springer should be an excellent complementary piece to him. The two are similar in some ways, but they also can play off each other’s strengths very well. Barring an injury or something unforeseen happening, Springer should be an instant starter for Tennessee in 2020 and could be the team’s leading scorer if everything pans out.
