After somehow landing one of the top wings in Justise Winslow with the 10th pick in the first round, the Miami Heat chose to follow that up by taking yet another wing player with the 40th pick in the draft. Josh Richardson, a shooting guard from the University of Tennessee, was selected as Miami’s final pick of the night.
It was a little surprising to see Miami take another wing with this pick, especially when someone like Cliff Alexander was still available. However, Richardson will be a nice addition to a team that was clearly targeting length and athleticism in this draft.
Richardson was a four-year player at Tennessee who improved every single year. He was named to the 2015 All-SEC First Team, as well as the SEC All-Defensive team in 2014 and 2015. At 6’6 he has very nice size for the shooting guard position, and he has been compared to Kent Bazemore of the Atlanta Hawks. His wingspan was measured at 6’10, which is another plus for a guard. His length helped him get 2.1 steals per game in his senior season, 19th most in Division I basketball. That should translate to an extent, and his length should help him cause problems on the defensive end. On offense his length also helped him create looks for teammates, as well as get to and finish at the rim. Though he could improve in that aspect.
Richardson’s scoring increased every season at Tennessee, going from averaging just three points per game as a freshman, to 16 points per game as a senior. Along with the improvements in scoring, Richardson’s three-point percentage greatly improved, jumping from 24.3 percent to 35.9 percent in his final season with the Vols. He also averaged 4.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists his senior season, showing he can do a little bit of everything offensively. He isn’t going to be asked to rebound or distribute at a high rate for Miami, but the fact that he can is always a plus.
Richardson has the length and athleticism to contribute at the NBA level, but he may need to strengthen up a bit in order to really make an impact on the defensive end of the floor. If he does that, many believe he can shape up to be a solid three and D player. It may be difficult to find playing time with James Ennis, Tyler Johnson and now Justise Winslow log jamming the back up wing positions, but if Richardson can consistently knock down three-pointers and effectively use his size and length on both ends of the floor, it may be hard for head coach Erik Spoelstra not to give him minutes.
A 6’6 guard with a 6’10 wingspan is always worth a good look. Richardson has the potential to be a difference maker on defense because of his length, and if he can continue to improve his finishing and three-point shooting, Miami may have found a nice player in the second round.