What To Make Of Miami Heat Guard Josh Richardson
“With the 40th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, the Miami Heat select…” Joshua Micheal Richardson.
Unknown to many, and overlooked by more. Especially after president Pat Riley was able to walk away with the steal of the century in Justise Winslow. A small forward from Duke who for reasons still unknown, went undrafted until he fell into Miami’s lap at №10.
But no matter. Because Richardson had made it. All his dreams are coming true before his very eyes.
An Oklahoma native, the shooting guard played four years at the University of Tennessee. He averaged 9.2 points and 3.2 rebounds a game in 28.2 minutes as a Volunteer, his numbers increasing to 16.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per matchup as a senior. He finished his time there ranking third in school history in games played (136), ninth in minutes (3,802) and tenth in steals (147). He was named to the First Team All Southeastern Conference, as well as the SEC All-Defensive Team and the Defensive All-American Team.
Not too shabby, if you ask me.
And just as quickly as the young buck fell in love with South Beach, so did the organization with him.
Nicknamed Rook2 alongside Winslow (Rook1), Heat Nation was excited to see what the college graduate could bring to the table. Especially after a turbulent 2014–15, set off by LeBron James’ departure and ending in the Heat missing the postseason for the first time since 2008.
But despite a solid display at Summer League (averaging 11.8 points and 2.8 rebounds in 10 games), Richardson’s transition into the pros was not exactly smooth sailing. At least not for a while.
After seeing no time during Miami’s first four games of the season, Richardson was then subsequently assigned to the Developmental League on December 30, via the Sioux Falls Skyforce. And although he was recalled on January 3, he was then reassigned to the affiliate D-League team on January 5.
However, on January 11 he was back with the Heat, this time to stay. And it’s safe to say his assignment to the D-League lit a fire within him. On February 24, he scored 15 points against the Golden State Warriors. That would be his first double-digit NBA game, but certainly not the last.
In fact, after averaging 12.0 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists a matchup in March, he was awarded Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month.
Richardson finished his rookie year by averaging 6.6 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists per contest on 21.3 minutes of play, excited to see what was to come in his future with Miami.
Unfortunately though, with only a handful of games left in the team’s 2016–17 campaign, Richardson’s sophomore year has been a bit lackluster. To the point where recently, fans have been calling for a trade.
On paper, the 23-year-old is progressing. Averaging 9.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists a game in 29.8 minutes on the year, it seems Richardson is headed in the right direction.
Heck, he just had a 19-point game on Wednesday evening against the Charlotte Hornets, where he also grabbed 6 rebounds and dished out 5 assists.
This, after recording 17 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 3 blocks on Sunday afternoon versus the Denver Nuggets.
So, what’s the problem?
Well nothing, potentially. Except for fans falling back into old habits and lacking patience.
After all, JRich was sidelined for 19 games after partially tearing a ligament in his knee. Rust upon recovery is only natural. Never mind the fact that he has been playing with a taped-up wrist for the last several months.
It should also be noted just how many rotations the Heat have gone through this season, making it tougher for any player to find their footing and make sense of their role. Let alone a sophomore.
So yes, maybe it’s taken him a minute to bounce back. And no, he hasn’t yet found consistency in his shot.
But he’s working on it.
And what’s more, he wants everyone to know he’s not just a shooter.
“I think I put together a good month or two last year and that might have let everybody think I was just a shooter. But I can do a lot of things on the court as well as shoot.”
Which means that people should start looking at him as a well-rounded threat, not a three-point standout a la Kyle Korver or even teammate Wayne Ellington.
Even if he did top the league in three-point shooting with 53.3 percent, after the All-Star break last year.
“I just put pressure on myself to be a contributor to help with the team’s success. I don’t really look back at what happened last year anymore.”
Now that doesn’t mean that Joshy will stop draining them from downtown all together. He went 4-for-7 from beyond-the-arc in Miami’s win over Charlotte, and shot 4-of-6 against Denver.
But Heat Nation does need to change their expectations of the young fella.
Soph2 may not have had a season for the ages, but there’s certainly no reason to give up on him just yet.
Just like there was no need to hop aboard the Tank Train.
Remember: patience is a virtue, my friends.
If the Heat’s 2016–17 run hasn’t taught you that much, well…
