If you didn't stay up for the Boston Celtics' overtime win over the Los Angeles Clippers at the Intuit Dome on Wednesday night -- A) You missed a wild one, and B) You'll want to do more than just read the box score.
That's because Celtics reserve guard Jaden Springer was an unexpected hero of Boston's 117-113 victory, despite scoring a modest eight points.
Springer entered Wednesday having played more than 10 minutes in a game just once this season, his action mostly relegated to the final moments of blowouts. But with his team getting lit up by Derrick Jones Jr., Kevin Porter Jr. and the severely short-handed Clippers, head coach Joe Mazzulla turned to Springer late in the third quarter hoping for an energy boost.
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And the 22-year-old guard rose to the occasion.
Springer played the final four minutes of the third and nearly the entire fourth quarter, tallying eight points, two rebounds and four steals over a season-high 20 minutes played while hitting a pair of clutch 3-pointers.
But that stat line doesn't tell the full story of Springer's impact, especially on the defensive end. Here are five stats that help paint a clearer picture, with a hat tip to our Celtics Insider Chris Forsberg:
- Springer became just the third player in the NBA this season to record at least four steals and two made 3-pointers in 20 or fewer minutes played, per Stathead, joining Kevin Love and Lonzo Ball.
- The Clippers shot 1-for-5 with Springer as the primary defender. They shot 54.1 percent against every other Celtics defender.
- Porter Jr. scored zero points on 0-for-2 shooting with two turnovers with Springer as the primary defender. He scored 26 points on 12-for-19 shooting against other C's defenders.
- Boston's defensive rating was 80.5 with Springer on the court and 123.1 with him off the court.
Not bad for a game that Springer didn't enter until the second half.
"Go in there and make a difference," Springer told NBC Sports Boston's Abby Chin after the game about his mindset when he entered the game. "Go out there and play defense, play hard. That's what they told me to do. My teammates trusted in me all night. They were cheering me on, so shout out to them for having my back the whole time."
Mazzulla also had Springer's back, subbing out Jordan Walsh for the defensive-minded guard with about four minutes left in the third quarter and playing Springer essentially the rest of the game.
"HeāsĀ justĀ gotĀ anĀ innateĀ skillĀ toĀ impactĀ theĀ gameĀ withĀ hisĀ physicality,Ā hisĀ defense,Ā andĀ IĀ thoughtĀ thatāsĀ whatĀ theĀ gameĀ neededĀ atĀ theĀ time,ā Joe Mazzulla said. āIĀ thinkĀ itāsĀ oneĀ ofĀ theĀ bestĀ thingsĀ youĀ canĀ doĀ inĀ this league is to just deliver when your name is called, regardless of when it is.
"Itās a credit to him and the work ethic that he has. I thought his defense, his physicality, his presence changed the game for us."
Springer has been buried on Boston's depth chart for much of the season behind guards Jrue Holiday, Derrick White and Payton Pritchard. He's a restricted free agent this offseason and is one of the few trade chips Brad Stevens has if the Celtics want to make a move before the Feb. 6 NBA trade deadline.
Springer proved his value as a defensive spark plug Wednesday night, however, and perhaps his performance will entice another team to give Stevens a call -- or convince Stevens to hang up.