Josh Richardson looks to build on impressive rookie season

After a promising rookie season, Josh Richardson seems to have a bright future with the Miami Heat’s plans.

Miami Heat guard Josh Richardson came out of nowhere, but has already made quite an impression on Heat Nation. And you better believe there is more to come from the 22-year-old too.

Having played four years at the University of Tennessee, the Oklahoma native averaged 9.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.08 steals a game on 28.2 minutes of play over his college career, shooting 45.6 percent from the field and 31.8 percent from the three-point line. However, during his senior year, he was averaging 16.0 points and 4.5 rebounds, shooting 46.1 and 35.9 percent. He also made First Team All SEC, SEC All-Defensive Team and Defensive All-American Team.

Richardson was not a hot draft topic though. And there was virtually no sign of Miami looking into him.

But come the 2015 NBA Draft, the Heat took the guard with the no. 40 pick overall, and the organization walked away with two rookies: Richardson and Justise Winslow.

Rookie season

Both newbies took part in that year’s Summer League, and Richardson certainly stunned the crowd. Right off of the bat, he made his professional basketball debut by averaging 11.8 points and 2.8 rebounds in 10 games.

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Now Richardson may not have seen too much playing time for the majority of the season. And yes, he was sent to Miami’s Developmental League affiliate team, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, twice. But things really took off for him after the All-Star break, when Chris Bosh was ruled out indefinitely once again due to blood clots.

March was really the start of Richardson’s stardom; that month, he earned Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month as he finished in double-digits eight times, including recording a career-high 22 points against the Chicago Bulls. He also established himself as a clutch three-point shooter, shooting 58.9 percent from beyond-the-arc.

As the team made a playoff push, Richardson’s time increased and he started to play a vital role in the Heat’s rotation. Coming off of the bench, he brought unmatched energy to the table, and helped fill the three-point shooting void that Miami battled this season. He was continuously praised for his motivation, his positive mentality and his desire to learn from those around him.

Richardson finished off 2015-16 by averaging 6.6 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists per matchup on 21.3 minutes of play, shooting 45.2 percent from the field and 46.1 percent from downtown.

Looking ahead

So what comes next for the young fella?

Well, he plans on working his butt off during the summer. Besides already getting in work (proven by his stories on Snapchat), he will once again take part in the Summer League. At least the part taking place in Orlando:

"“I’ll be in Orlando playing. I’m not sure about Las Vegas yet, but I’ll definitely be in Orlando.”"

And what will he be working on? Well, although he will obviously be developing his shot, he is also focusing on ballhandling.

"“I’m just doing a little bit of everything right now. So far it’s a lot of balance work and just trying to get my ballhandling right. When summer-league practice starts, I’ll get a lot of reps on that and start working on playmaking there.”"

Richardson also touched upon next season’s roster, including alluding to the fact that he expects Bosh to return.

"“When I’m on the court with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh and people like that, I’m not going to be able to shoot 20 times a game maybe like I can in summer league. So my goal is to work on my playmaking, seeing the court for others.”"

And he is not alone in that. Udonis Haslem also spoke on Bosh, and it seems the whole team is moving forward as though the big man is coming back:

"“That’s what I’m assuming, as far as I know… His spirits were well. We talked about his summer. We plan to get a couple of workouts together. Like I’ve said, I already started my workouts. We talked about getting some workouts together, spending some time together this summer out there in L.A. And I just asked him how he was feeling. He said he feels good, actually said he feels great. That was his exact words, ‘I feel great.'”"

Bosh or no Bosh, get ready for Richardson to have a solid second year with the Heat.

must read: Miami Heat: Udonis Haslem plans on playing 3 more years

Come next season, he will absolutely see more playing time. And if you add an already killer three-point instinct to bumped up ballhandling, a star will be born.