Jase Richardson is headed to Orlando. The Magic have used the No. 25 pick to draft the Michigan State guard.
Richardson had a strong freshman year for the Spartans, coming off the bench in his first 21 games before claiming a spot in the starting lineup starting in early February. In 36 total contests, he averaged 12.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 25.3 minutes per game, with an excellent .493/.412/.836 shooting line.
As Jonathan Givony of ESPN writes, Richardson is undersized for either guard position – 6’1″ and 178 pounds – and performs better off the ball than as a play-maker with the ball in his hands, but he should have real value as a shot-maker who plays with intensity on the defensive end.
The 19-year-old will provide backcourt depth for a Magic team that lost Jalen Suggs to injury for much of this season. They need to replenish their guard corps after declining the options on Gary Harris and Cory Joseph in the wake of the Desmond Bane trade.
Richardson had the distinction of being this year’s highest-ranked player by ESPN who didn’t receive a green room invitation. But the night still worked out fine for him as he’s headed to the Magic, who should be one of the East’s top teams next season.
Richardson is the son of former NBA star Jason Richardson, who spent two seasons with Orlando late in his career.
If Bklyn doesn’t take one of the bigs with either of the next 2 picks – Wolf, Raynaud – I will be pissed.
Just took saraf, now they’ll probably take a 4th guard 😂
Love this pick! Orlando Magic definitely got a shooter and filled a major need.
I love how NCAA measures with shoes on then adds an inch or two. All about caressing those fragile egos.
Good spot for him to fall to. He can just worry about coming off the bench and being a bucket
More guards?