5 Bold Predictions For Los Angeles Lakers vs Miami Heat

2. The Struggles Continue For Josh Richardson

The last few games haven’t been good to Josh Richardson, who is apparently dealing with a sore shooting wrist (via the Palm Beach Post). He’s shot only 35 percent from the field over the last six contests, and has made only two of 17 three pointers in the last three games.

For a guy who the Heat depend on for scoring, that’s not a good situation to be in. Chances are it won’t get any better against Los Angeles.

Again, it doesn’t necessarily have to do with the Lakers’ defense. We all know they’re far from a strong defensive unit, which has led to their awful December showing.

However, between the wrist injury and an improving wing presence from the Los Angeles defenders, it’ll be another ugly outing for Richardson.

I won’t go into specifics, but I’m guessing he’ll struggle to sink more than 30 percent of his shots. He may even have another dry day from beyond the arch, which he’s already done in two of the last three games.

It’s never easy playing through injuries, especially ones that directly affect your ability to shoot. I give Richardson kudos for sucking it up, but he’s only hurting the Heat at this point with the subsequent ineffectiveness from the field.