Miami Heat: Why You’re Going To Love Josh Richardson

By DJoumbarey A. Moreau | Jul 3, 2015

Feb 28, 2015; Gainesville, FL, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Donnie Tyndall (R) talks with Volunteers guard Josh Richardson (1) against the Florida Gators during the second half at Stephen C. O /

The NBA free agency period is finally under way and it didn’t take long for Goran Dragic to become even more rich.

The Miami Heat retained their All-NBA point guard Dragic by giving The Dragon a five-year, $90 million deal. What sweetened the offseason for the Heat was the fact that they also retained their most important player in franchise history, Dwyane Wade.

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However Dragic and Wade aren’t the only people who are getting richer in Miami, though, because this offseason, so did the Heat.

It was pleasantly surprising seeing the Heat select Josh Richardson with the No. 40 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft because his game has a unique skill set that will be adored in Miami.

Richardson was one of the players that you had to fall in love with watching college basketball during his four years playing for the Tennessee Volunteers. Coming off of a junior year where Richardson helped lead Tennessee to the Sweet 16 of the 2014 NCAA tournament, he had to come back to a toxic situation in his senior season.

Richardson saw two coaches leave and most of his teammates were underclassmen with minimal big game experience.

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Coming into a star-studded situation in Miami where the city is expecting a deep playoff run because of the All-Star starting lineup it boast it won’t be the case.

One of the biggest reasons why Richardson’s name was selected by the Heat is because of his work ethic. In his senior season Richardson could’ve complained, made excuses and quit on the team, but he didn’t. In spite of his situation he did the opposite. Richardson continued the development in his game and reaped the reward. Richardson’s numbers all increased across the board.

His points, steals, assists, rebounds, free throw attempts, free throw percentage and three point percentage all went up. Did we mention he was fourth in the SEC in minutes per game, averaging 36.9 a night?

Most NBA players that fans fall in love with are the 19-year-old prospects who are oozing with so much potential that we actually forget about their actual on-court production and assume that they’re already good (*cough* Karl-Anthony Towns *cough*).

From day one we know what to expect from Richardson, it’s his defense. In an interview with Joe Beguiristain, Richardson said this.

"“I just know the way that the Miami Heat like to play defense. They like to guard and get in to people. I think I kind of fit that mold.”"

When Richardson’s guarding shooting guards and small forwards (primarily players that are much bigger than he is) he uses his feet in order to beat them. Richardson’s got more enough lateral quickness to beat his opponents to spots on the floor which forces them into tough shots.

Standing at 6’6″ and 200 pounds, Richardson’s got the talent to guard at least three different positions on the floor and that’s something that the Heat needed badly last year.

During his time at Tennessee, it was awesome seeing the way that Richardson rounded out his game. He started off as a defender and eventually became a go-to scorer.

Now on a roster that ~~has~~ will have Wade, Dragic, Chris Bosh, Hassan Whiteside, Luol Deng and many other capable scorers it’ll be hard to envision a scenario where Richardson will be asked to sub in to light up the scoring column.

However it won’t be long until we see him get in the game and start to shake things up. The Heat needed to get younger and during the offseason they addressed their issue. They brought in a 19-year-old stud in Justise Winslow and Richardson, one of the polished premier collegiate athletes who’s 21 years old and has a very high motor on defense.

Richardson’s going to compete and going against Wade and his fellow rookie Winslow everyday in practice and it will only make him a much better defender.

Miami might be a city that’s (WRONGFULLY) known for their snobby, arrogant, and flashy ways, but the one trait that a lot of people cherish here is the ability to hustle. Richardson’s hustle factor is the reason why he got drafted and it’s the reason why Miami’s going to love watching him play for the Heat.

Congratulations.

Next: NBA: The Biggest Winners And Losers Of Free Agency Day 1

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