Miami Heat fans haven’t agreed on much lately, but there’s one topic everyone seems to be on the same page about: Josh Richardson. Specifically, that he’s poised to have a breakout 2018-19 season. So, let’s look at what he’s been able to accomplish so far.
Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month
On April 5, 2016, Miami Heat star Josh Richardson was named the league’s Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month.
In March, he had averaged 12.0 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 steals a game, while shooting 53.2 percent from the field and 58.9 percent from downtown (second-highest for a single month in NBA history, on at least 50 attempts).
He led all rookies in plus/minus (+66), 3-point field goals made (33) and 3-point shooting (with at least 10 attempts).
His eight-time double-digit scoring helped the Heat earn 10 wins (the most in a single month since March 2014), including a victory over the Chicago Bulls on March 11, during which the swingman recorded a then career-high 22 points.
In the fourth quarter, he outscored the entire Bulls squad by himself, having shot a perfect 6-of-6 from the field, and 4-for-4 from 3-point land.
His nine made field goals and four made 3-pointers were also career-highs.
He then went onto score 18 points against the Charlotte Hornets on March17 (going 7-of-9 from the field and 3-for-4 from beyond-the-arc), and 19 points versus the Cleveland Cavaliers on March 19 (shooting 6-of-9 from the field and 4-for-6 from downtown).
While Richardson had shown glimpses of potential prior to his March 2016 performance, it was during that stretch of time that his true brilliance really starting to shine bright.
15 and 7
Unfortunately, 2016-17 wasn’t too kind to the Oklahoma-native.
Having sustained a knee injury in early September and then one to his foot in mid-January, Richardson saw time in just 53 games during his second year.
The former Tennessee Volunteer finished the season averaging 10.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.1 steal per contest, as opposed to rookie numbers of 6.6 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists a matchup.
Still, he had some standout performances.
Like when he totaled 15 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field (going 4-for-6 from 3 and 3-of-5 from the line) and seven rebounds on November 19 in a win over the Washington Wizards.
It wasn’t the young fella’s best shooting night of the season, as he scored 19 points four days prior, against the Atlanta Hawks. And then 22 points on December 27 versus the Oklahoma City Thunder (tying his season-high).
But his showing did prove just what a versatile player he really is.
Because not only was he able to score in a number of ways (driving the ball, launching from deep, having steady hands at the charity stripe) but he held things down on the other end of the court too. He grabbed more rebounds only once that year (on March 12 against the Indiana Pacers), but wasn’t nearly as efficient offensively (finishing with nine points).
Of course now, Richardson is known primarily for his defense, with many thinking he got snubbed out of a place on either of the NBA’s All-Defensive teams.
Winter 2017-18
South Florida may never really get cold, but Richardson thrived this past winter.
His best stretch came in December 2017, when he averaged 17.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.1 steals a game.
He started the month off by scoring a then career-high 27 points on 11-for-14 shooting from the field (3-of-4 from downtown) on December 1, in a win at home over the Hornets. He broke his own record just seven contests later, on December 16, when he totaled 28 points, going 10-for-16 from the field and 6-of-8 from 3 versus the Los Angeles Clippers.
Then just two days later, on December 18, he hit 26 points (shooting 10-of-19 from the field) against the Hawks.
Talk about a happy holiday season.
The start of 2018 went just as productively for the swingman though, recording 22 points (including going 5-of-7 from beyond-the-arc) and five assists on January 3, versus the Detroit Pistons.
And as for February?
Richardson scored a career-high 30 points against the Houston Rockets on February 7, shooting 11-of-20 from the field, going a whopping 7-of-9 from 3-point land.
In general, the third year impressed the entirety of Heat Nation in 2017-18.
He finished the season averaging 12.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.5 steals per matchup, showing improvement across the board.
He caught the attention of not just supporters of the team, but of the league period, proving that president Pat Riley still very much knows how to not just find diamonds in the rough, but polish them to perfection too.
It’s safe to say that Richardson is very much the face of the future for the Miami Heat.