REPORT: NBA Mock Has MSU Freshman in Top 10

Michigan State freshman guard Jase Richardson has stepped in time and again to fill a key guard spot for the Green and White, and his play has garnered a healthy amount of attention.

His athleticism, IQ, shot and playmaking skills are beyond his 19 years (and four-star ranking), and now he is in the driver's seat as the Spartans' best draft candidate, by seemingly all accounts.

In a recent 2025 NBA mock draft, Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman projected Richardson to go No. 10 to the San Antonio Spurs, where the last Spartan to succeed was Bryn Forbes, a standout shooting guard and integral member of Coach Tom Izzo's underachieving 2015-16 squad that should have ran the table.

"There is debate over what a best-case outcome looks like for Jase Richardson, who's 6'3" and hadn't demonstrated much playmaking through January," Wasserman wrote. "And then he was inserted into the starting lineup in February and immediately put up 29 points against Oregon. He's continued to score efficiently by picking the right spots to attack with his dribble and pull-up.

"It's also becoming more evident that his role can mask some self-creation. Regardless, the idea of a valuable off-ball scorer and secondary ball-handler is gaining steam behind his shooting efficiency, finishing craft and ball-screen decision-making.

"Making 44.0 percent of his spot-up threes, 48.8 percent of his dribble jumpers and 73.5 percent of his layups, with 46 assists to 21 turnovers, accurate shotmaking and feel for the game could have teams valuing fit over upside."

Earlier in the season, NBA Draft On SI's Isaac Condra referred to Richardson as the biggest sleeper in the draft.

"Among all freshmen guards in college basketball, he’s arguably the best finisher at the rim," Condrawrote. "Richardson has very soft touch, is great at finishing at a variety of different angles and is ambidextrous with his finishing ability. The 6-foot-3 guard is so effective at getting the rim and is efficient when he gets there. But he's more than just a rim finisher, as he has a solid handle to create space. Richardson is also a capable playmaker and is a good shooter."

For Richardson to have gone from four-star contributor to top draft prospect is nothing short of a meteoric rise.

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