Magic's Jase Richardson understands key to earning trust as rookie

While he didn't light up the stat sheet at Michigan State, guard Jase Richardson was one of the best shooters in the 2025 NBA Draft class.

But he acknowledged this week that his role with Orlando will be a little different. While he will be relied on to space the floor and be a secondary ballhandler off the bench (depending on the lineup), he knows he must guard his yard to be earn playing time.

"Just being a guy who's willing to guard," Richardson said when asked what his role has been during training camp, according to Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel. "I think that's the biggest thing for me. I have to show that I can guard, especially at my size. So, just coming in, picking up 94 feet, trying to fight over screens, fight, be a physical guard."

#Magic rookie Jase Richardson mentioned “being a guy who’s willing to guard,” when I asked him what his role has been through the first three days of camp:

“That’s the biggest thing for me. I have to show that I can guard, especially at my size.”

Full remarks: pic.twitter.com/7MkBou3lVG
— Jason Beede (@therealBeede) October 2, 2025

Drafted No. 25 overall by the Magic in June, Richardson, 19, averaged 12.1 points per game at Michigan State, shooting 49.3 percent from the floor and 41.2 percent from 3-point range on 3.2 triple tries. There was an uptick in usage and opportunity over Michigan State's final 15 games, averaging 16.1 points on 47.0/42.0/81.9 percent shooting splits.

Part of what made him a trustworthy option was how he held up defensively. He was nowhere near perfect, but he was feisty for his size. Though how he would defend at the NBA level was always going to be a question. The NBA isn't a small guards league, and Richardson, who measured in at 6'0.5" at the combine without shoes, albeit with a 6-foot-6 wingspan, is small.

The Magic have improved every year defensively under head coach Jamahl Mosley, including being a top-3 defense each of the last two seasons despite being without Jalen Suggs for most of 2024-25. When he's on the floor, Richardson will likely be flanked by a combination of Suggs, Jonathan Isaac, Franz Wagner and Wendell Carter Jr., where he won't have the pressure of being one of the team's top defenders.

That said, the rookie is more than aware of what will earn him not only the trust of his head coach, but his teammates, and that's defending, both individually and collectively, where the Magic pride themselves as much as any organization in the NBA.

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