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Miami Heat: Projections and Comparisons for Justise, J-Rich, and BAM!

By Kenneth Wilson

MIAMI, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 27: (L-R) Bam Adebayo, Dwyane Wade, Josh Richardson and Justise Winslow of the Miami Heat pose before a game against the Golden State Warriors at American Airlines Arena on February 27, 2019 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Cassy Athena/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 27: (L-R) Bam Adebayo, Dwyane Wade, Josh Richardson and Justise Winslow of the Miami Heat pose before a game against the Golden State Warriors at American Airlines Arena on February 27, 2019 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Cassy Athena/Getty Images) /
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Josh Richardson

Josh Richardson is almost the definition of “steady” and when he isn’t, it isn’t in a bad way.

J-Rich is always going to play hard on both ends, be in the right places, and seemingly give whatever he can to make his team better.

That said, he can occasionally have an offensive outburst to go along with the always ball-hawking D, which is the level Heat supporters wish he played at in all games.

He may never become a career 20 point per game scorer, but he has shown that it is in him, and the key would be unlocking it on a game to game basis.

He has also excelled in a lead guard role, being the main ball handler to Jordan McRae‘s professional scorer role at Tennessee, and even breaking in with this Heat organization as a pseudo-backup Point Guard. These are the facts to consider when making projections for Josh Richardson.

Ceiling – A combination of early and later Ron Harper

Floor – His current self

Richardson is, again, the type of guy that you could use to illustrate what the word “steady” means. He won’t always blow you out of the water, but he will always be in the pool.

His maximum self could be much greater though. Although many forget, early Ron Harper was a scoring machine in Cleveland and with the Clippers before he took on a more defensive lead guard role in his later years.

Ron Harper was pretty much a 20 points per game guy during his tenures with the Los Angeles Clippers and the Cleveland Cavaliers, before moving on to some of those famous Bulls and Lakers teams.

It was on these teams where he was mostly a defensive force and ball distributor. These are both roles that Richardson could excel at if that’s all he ever is, but that is who he currently is, which is why “he” is his floor.

If he could somehow take that last step to becoming a more threatening scorer on a game in and game out basis (like early Ron Harper was), that would surely make him a “two-way star” in this league.

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