REPORT: MSU's Richardson Heads East in Recent Mock Draft
The Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team couldn't have had all the success it did without freshman guard Jase Richardson. While his talents didn't truly shine in the public eye until the latter half of the season, once Richardson's name started to get out there, he was highly regarded as one of the best players of MSU's best players.
Following a strong freshman campaign, Richardson decided that he would test his luck in the 2025 NBA Draft. While some had mixed emotions about the news, Spartan Nation has gotten behind Richardson in hopes of him being able to live out his dream of becoming a professional basketball player.
With the NBA Playoffs continuing in full swing, the NBA Draft is still a little way away. However, Richardson was present at the NBA Draft combine earlier this month, showing off all the skills that the Spartan fans and players already knew he had.
With several NBA teams needing to add youth to their rosters, Richardson could be a well-sought-after player once the draft selection process gets underway. The 2025 NBA Draft to be held on June 25 and 26 in Brooklyn, New York, which could feature Richardson's big moment of making the league at such a young age.
In a recent mock draft from NBADraft.net, Richardson was taken with the 26th overall pick by the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets finished with a 26-56 record this season and placed well out of the playoff contention conversation.
Should Richardson end up going to Brooklyn to play for the Nets, it would be a great fit, given that the franchise is in a rebuilding stage. This would allow a player like the MSU product to find multiple ways of getting action in the league, surely to start on the bench.
NBADraft.net graded Richardson a 91 overall in their grading scale.
"On paper, he’s got the skill set, the potential and most importantly, the time to develop into a premier guard at the pro level," NBADraft.net's Isaiah Maldonado wrote.
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Dominic Minchella holds a communications degree from Eastern Michigan University. He is a former MLB writer and joins our team ad an NFL/College team reporter on Sports Illustrated