Is Nick Richards the Hornets Next Second-Round Steal?
Nick Richards is now in his third season with the Charlotte Hornets and it appears that he could be in store for an increase in minutes and a breakout season.
Richards spent three years at Kentucky and improved steadily over his tenure. He was traded to Charlotte in the 2020 NBA Draft as the 42nd pick in a trade with the New Orleans Pelicans. The Pelicans received a 2024 second round pick in the deal. In his previous two seasons for Charlotte, he played a total of 68 games combined and never averaged more than eight minutes of play. However, the tide has changed now for Richards, he’s put in a lot of work this off-season and has gained the trust of Hornets head coach Steve Clifford. Richards is still only 24 years old and stands over 7'0" tall with a 7’4" wingspan, which gives him the size and length to be a presence in the paint on both ends. Since becoming GM in 2018 Mitch Kupchak has hit on several second round picks such as Devonte' Graham, Cody Martin, and Jalen McDaniels.
Towards the end of the Hornets preseason, Nick Richards started showing everyone why Steve Clifford kept praising him throughout training camp. Against Washington, Richards scored 15 points and recorded 8 rebounds in just 17 minutes. In the final preseason game, Richards went against Joel Embiid and Montrezl Harrell and recorded 7 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Those performances by Richards practically secured his spot in the rotation as a backup to Mason Plumlee for the season opener.
A couple of areas where there has been noticeable improvements in Richards’ game is better/quicker decision making on offense. Also, his added strength has helped him with rebounding on both sides of the ball and finishing stronger at the rim. In years past, Richards seemed to mishandle passes from his teammates, but he’s done a better job of being able to corral them and finish inside.
Richards put many of the doubters to sleep in the Hornets season opener against San Antonio as he recorded several career highs in multiple categories. He achieved career highs in points (19), total rebounds (10), offensive rebounds (8), field goals made (7), and free throws made (5) in the win over San Antonio. Richards made a huge impact in the game and was a major reason why the Hornets started the season off with a win.
It's very impressive that Richards was able to get a double-double in just over 20 minutes of play and that 8 of his 10 rebounds were offensive. However, Richards needs to focus on the defensive rebounds as well, because recording only 2 defensive rebounds is not ideal. Dennis Smith Jr. and Nick Richards seemed to connect well off the bench, which is a good sign for chemistry. LaMelo Ball will certainly be excited to play with Richards once he’s back from his ankle injury.
Richards has earned the spot in the rotation and very soon could be the Hornets starting center over Mason Plumlee. Richards has the ability to hit free throws and he's already shown that he can knock down a couple of mid-range jumpers.
On defense, Richards has improved drastically by doing a better job of not getting into foul trouble and he is also a terrific shot-blocker. He is a very mobile big for his size and can get up and down the court, which is key for the Hornets as they love to push the pace.
The Hornets have had a couple of their young big man sitting behind veterans for several seasons now and it appears now that the time might have paid off, as Richards looks destined to take over as the Hornets starting center role. It is too early to tell, but if Richards can keep up this level of production, he could have an outside chance to be in the conversation for the Most Improved Player of the Year Award.
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