Miami Heat's Josh Richardson On Being Back: “When I’m here, it’s a different mindset”
As the Miami Heat continue battling multiple injuries and starting lineup changes, an old friend, Josh Richardson, has stepped up huge.
Richardson returned to the Heat on the opening day of free agency, signing a two-year deal worth $5.9 million. He had bounced around the league since he was drafted by the Heat in 2015. He left when he was included in the Jimmy Butler trade in 2019.
Since, he has played for the Philadelphia 76ers, Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs, and New Orleans Pelicans in that span.
Richardson’s best season of his career was with the Heat in 2018, averaging 16.6 points and 4.1 assists per game. It was reported Richardson turned down a more extensive offer to return to Miami.
It now makes sense.
“When I’m here, it’s a different mindset," Richardson said recently. "This summer, when I signed back, I felt the first day that I was working out that my mindset had to be different because of how competitive everything is here.”
Richardson is averaging 15.5 points and 4.4 assists over the last five games while shooting just under 54 percent. The Heat were again without Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo for the second half of the game versus the Indiana Pacers, but the Heat bench stepped up with 66 points.
Richardson hasn't missed a beat after having 19 points in Thursday's win against the Indiana Pacers. He is proving "Heat Culture" is a real thing.
Devin Brown is a contributing writer to Inside The Heat. He can be reached at devinbrownjr95@gmail.com or Twitter @dbrwnjr.
