Miami Heat: 3 goals for Josh Richardson in 2018-19
By Simon Smith
3. Raise overall level of consistency
Although impressive over the season as a whole, there’s still another level which Richardson can reach. In order to achieve this, he is going to need to increase the consistency in his production.
A perfect example of this is the disparity in the following months:
- November: 7.6 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 1.3 SPG, .354/.250/.700, 31.3 MPG, 15 GP
- December: 17.4 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 1.1 SPG, .546/.468/.889, 34.8 MPG, 15 GP
Overall, while Richardson had 34 games in which he scored at least 15 points, he also had 23 appearances in which he scored in single figures. Now entering his fourth season, and having started every game last year, the Heat and Richardson will clearly be expecting a greater level of consistency.
Towards the end of his exemplary month of December, head coach Erik Spoelstra was clearly impressed with what he was witnessing:
"“He’s becoming somebody new and more dangerous. His confidence is growing exponentially right now and I just want him to keep on fueling that. His menu is growing. He’s a point forward for us and he can get us organized as a point guard.”"
When commenting on his own improvement as a more rounded player, Richardson noted:
"“That I’m capable of being a great player in this league and I think I showed flashes. I think I just have to do it consistently.”"
Given these sentiments, there’s little doubt that both the Heat and Richardson will be on the same page moving forward.