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5 Surprises From The 2015 NBA Draft

By Gary Gorski

Jun 25, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; General view of the full first round draft board at the conclusion of the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 25, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; General view of the full first round draft board at the conclusion of the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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May 9, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat guard Josh Richardson (0) shoots over Toronto Raptors center Bismack Biyombo (8) during the fourth quarter in game four of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at American Airlines Arena. The Heat won in overtime 94-87. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
May 9, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat guard Josh Richardson (0) shoots over Toronto Raptors center Bismack Biyombo (8) during the fourth quarter in game four of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at American Airlines Arena. The Heat won in overtime 94-87. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /

Josh Richardson

Taken 40th overall by the Miami Heat

2015-16 NBA Stats: 22.6 MPG, 6.6 PPG, 1.4 APG, 2.4 RPG, 0.6 SPG, 0.6 BPG

Maybe the biggest surprise of the draft was Miami’s Josh Richardson.

Drafted with the 40th overall selection as a senior shooting guard out of Tennessee, there were no lofty immediate expectations put on the pick – especially considering Miami had their guard spots locked down with Dwayne Wade and Goran Dragic.

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Pat Riley

and the Heat may have been handed a gift at No. 10 when Justise Winslow fell to them, but Riley and his team certainly did their homework to find a diamond in Richardson in round two.

Richardson played sparingly in the early part of the season only earning minutes here and there until the All-Star break.  After the break, Richardson got his big opportunity.

With the team desperately needing a backup point guard and with Wade missing some time, Erik Spoelstra turned to Richardson and he made the most of his chance.

Richardson was dazzling in the month of March, especially a seven-game stretch where he had nights scoring 22, 17, 18, 19 and 17, with the latter two scoring barrages coming against Cleveland and San Antonio.

Richardson would become an integral part of the rotation averaging just more than 29 minutes per game in that stretch. He averaged 9.5 points per game, provided an impressive 0.8 steals and 0.7 blocks per while connecting on nearly 1.7 threes per game at a 50 percent clip.

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On the season, Richardson would finish 10th overall in minutes per game for rookies and looks to have solidified himself a role next season, proving to be a valuable find in the second round of the draft for Miami.

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