Miami Heat: Grading every player at the midway point of the season
By Simon Smith
Josh Richardson
Things have not quite got to plan for Richardson in his second season in the league. After finishing his rookie season on a tear from behind the three-point line line, Richardson and the Heat were hoping for more of the same and to take his game to an even higher level. But it appears Richardson has sorely missed the veteran presence that walked out the door this past offseason.
In 28 appearances this season, Richardson has averaged 11.1 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 31.3 minutes per game. His shooting has been a struggle, hitting just 39.4 percent from the field and 31.3 percent from downtown. Having shot 46.1 percent from behind three in his rookie, this represents a significant drop for the promising guard.
Richardson sustained an untimely knee injury during the preseason which delayed the start to his season. Therefore, this could explain part of the reason for Richardson’s slow start to the season. And while he has posted some impressive numbers at times, his consistency has been severely lacking.
The most recent 12 games Richardson participated in sums up the inconsistency that his plagued him this season. During the initial five games of this 12 game stretch, Richardson averaged 8.0 points and 2.8 assists while shooting a horrendous 26.4 percent from the field, including 16 percent from three.
He followed this up the following four games by averaging 18.8 points, 5.3 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game, shooting 50 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from three. He then reverted the next three games to averaging 8.7 points and 3.7 rebounds while shooting 33.3 percent from the field and 18.8 percent from three.
Unfortunately for Richardson and the Heat, he has been back on the injury list for the past two weeks having sustained a sprained foot. To say it has been a frustrating season thus far for Richardson would be an enormous understatement.
Check out the highlights below in what has been Richardson’s best all-round game this season. Playing against the Boston Celtics, Richardson posted 19 points, eight assists, six rebounds, four steals and two blocks.