Miami Heat: Josh Richardson Cooling Off At Wrong Time
The Miami Heat could have a problem as rookie Josh Richardson is going cold from the field at the wrong time.
The Miami Heat look like they have found a diamond in the rough in Josh Richardson. The rookie shooting guard from Tennessee was thrust into a larger role than anyone expected him to have this season as injuries decimated the Heat’s backcourt. Tyler Johnson injured his shoulder and has not yet returned, and Beno Udrih is also out for the season and was bought out.
But head coach Erik Spoelstra turned to the unproven Richardson and he hit the ground running. Richardson was thrust into the rotation right after the All-Star Break despite being an afterthought prior to that moment. Richardson played double-digit minutes only nine times prior to the All-Star Break, but has played at least 20+ minutes in every game except one since then.
While he was being played out of necessity, he was also earning the playing time with his performance. The Heat could’ve gone out and tried to add a veteran guard at the trade deadline, but instead stuck to their goal of getting under the luxury tax. With that, they gave a vote of confidence to Richardson and he returned the favor with outstanding play on the court.
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In 29 games since the All-Star Break, Richardson is averaging a healthy 29.1 minutes per game, averaging 10.2 points on 50 percent shooting overall from the field and a scorching 53.3 percent from three-point land. The three-point shooting greatly helped the Heat, as one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the NBA, so getting any production from there was a plus.
The three-point shooting efficiency came out of nowhere, as Richardson was not a sniper at Tennessee. In four years as a Volunteer, Richardson shot 31.8 percent from the three-point line, which is closer than the NBA three-point line. Unfortunately for the Heat, they are now seeing that regression back to the mean.
After such a hot start, Richardson has begun to come back down to earth a bit with his three-point shooting. In his last five games, Richardson has been ice cold, shooting 33.3 percent overall and 23.5 percent from deep. He had been playing 33.5 minutes per game in the six games heading into the season finale, but received only 27 against the Boston Celtics Wednesday night.
Joe Johnson, Luol Deng and Justise Winslow all received more minutes than Richardson on the wings, which could be a sign of things to come for the postseason. With the playoffs getting underway in only a couple of days, the Heat cannot afford to wait for Richardson to get out of his funk.
The cold streak is coming at a poor time for Richardson and the Heat, as they will have a difficult matchup in the first round against the Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets possess one of the strongest bench scoring duos in Jeremy Lin and Jeremy Lamb, so it will be imperative that the Heat bench can keep pace.
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Richardson has been a key contributor to that bench success for the Heat since the All-Star Break, but his recent performance could force Spoelstra’s hand to give more minutes to his veterans on the wing. He should be given a chance to right the ship, but with the pressure of the postseason looming, Richardson will have to get things going quickly or he will see his minutes continue to drop.