The importance of wing players who can provide reliable three-points shooting, while also hampering the ability of the opposing team’s best perimeter scorer has increased in the NBA over the last 15 years. At 6’5” with a 36% career average from distance, Josh Richardson slides into that role as a prototypical “three and D” player. While he has bounced around the league a little bit in the last two years, he is still just 28 years old. Richardson has the potential to play a huge role for a team in a deep playoff run, although that might not be this year with his new team, the San Antonio Spurs.
Josh Richardson – Childhood
The story of Joshua Michael Richardson begins with his birth in Edmond, Oklahoma. His mother, Alice Richardson, served in the United States Air Force Reserve. His father Michael was a firefighter. Richardson had an older sister Alex, who was interested in athletics in her own right. As a young kid, Josh was more into playing baseball and football but fell more in love with basketball when he was in middle school. The level of discipline in the Richardson household was high, led by his mother, who was used to a regimented lifestyle from the Air Force.
Josh Richardson – High School
To his credit, Richardson always took the academic side of his responsibility as a student-athlete very seriously. He developed a love of medicine in middle school, which was only increased by a summer program he attended at UCLA while he was still in high school. It was an immersive program, where students would spend 12-hour days focused on medical science, but Richardson couldn’t get enough. While he enjoyed playing sports, treating people was where he saw his life going.
He always possessed athleticism that would help him rise above his level of competition, but really started to come into his own as a basketball player for the Santa Fe Wolves as an upperclassman. Richardson wasn’t even a starter in his first two years but stepped in as a junior with a huge opportunity to make a difference. He improved as a shooter and offensive player and averaged 15 points and seven rebounds per game in order to help Santa Fe qualify for the state tournament. As a senior, he took it up another notch, averaging 16.5 points per game, 6.2 rebounds per game, and 3.6 assists per game. This helped him gain recognition across the state of Oklahoma, as the state newspaper put him on the Super Five first team.
Where did Josh Richardson go to college?
While Richardson concluded his high school career impressively, he was not doggedly pursued on the college basketball circuit. TCU, Georgia Tech, and Penn State all extended offers to the Edmond native to join their basketball programs, but Richardson decided to attend the University of Tennessee. During his visit, he appreciated how welcoming the fans were, and took a liking to the small-town feel Knoxville provided, even as one of the larger cities in the state.
Richardson was not an instant star for the Volunteers in his freshman year. He remembers intense conditioning drills implemented by then-head coach Cuonzo Martin, which made him wonder whether he had made the right decision. Martin was also a big proponent of defensive play, which was not Richardson’s strong suit early on in college.
However, as he became more focused and more effective on the less glamorous side of the floor, he earned more playing time. His minutes per game averages took off as a sophomore, up to 30.7 from 16 in his first campaign in Knoxville.
Richardson had an eye-opening moment during his junior season with the Volunteers. Coach Martin got on him for not taking basketball as seriously as he should, considering that his future in the game could be extremely bright. It wasn’t something that Richardson saw for himself, but having someone else so demonstratively point that out was a huge wake-up call. While his numbers didn’t jump off the page that year, he was an integral part of a Tennessee team that made some noise in the NCAA Tournament. They won three games and fell just short of advancing to the Elite 8 in a two-point defeat to the University of Michigan.
There was a coaching change before Richardson’s senior year at Tennessee. It was tough to see coach Martin go, but new head coach Donnie Tyndall entrusted the swingman with much more responsibility, which was a key factor in his development. As a de facto point guard, he set a career-high in points, assists, free throw attempts, and three-point percentage, which all speak to his elevated involvement. For his career, he ranked third in school history in games played.
Josh Richardson – Miami Heat
Players who spend four years in college don’t get the same respect they once did, so the chances of Richardson being a first-round pick in the 2015 NBA Draft were slim. However, the Miami Heat took him in the second round. His NBA debut came on November 5, 2015, against the Minnesota Timberwolves; Richardson did not get into the scoring column that night.
The Heat have shown time and time again that meaningful contributions can come from young players with the right level of development, and Richardson was definitely a factor for them in the second half of his rookie year.
As Dwyane Wade reached his twilight years with the Heat, players like Richardson were asked to do more from a scoring perspective. The shooting guard delivered, increasing his points per game total every season he was in Miami. Richardson became an integral glue guy for the Heat and was rewarded with a four-year, $42 million contract extension.
Josh Richardson – Philadelphia 76ers
While he was the epitome of a solid player, Richardson and the core of Miami’s team were not positioned to be a threat for an Eastern Conference title. As a result, the organization decided to pull the trigger on a blockbuster trade, which sent him to the Philadelphia 76ers and sent Jimmy Butler to South Beach. The 76ers were hoping that a well-rounded team including Richardson, Al Horford, and Tobias Harris, to go along with Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, would be enough to take the next step in the East. Richardson was serviceable individually, but the mix of players did not work well together. The team was swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Boston Celtics.
Who did the Mavericks get for Josh Richardson trade?
Before the 2020-2021 season started, the 76ers remade their roster after a disappointing end to their prior campaign in the NBA bubble. They shipped Richardson to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Seth Curry. This had the makings of win-win trade for both sides, considering defense and floor spacing are what the Mavericks needed more of alongside Luka Doncic. Unfortunately, Richardson could not find the mark from three-point range, shooting a career-worst 33% from behind the arc in the regular season.
How did Josh Richardson get on the Celtics?
Last offseason, Dallas parted ways with the swingman, sending him to the Boston Celtics in exchange for Moses Brown. A month later, he signed an extension with Boston, which led some to believe that President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens believed Richardson would be an integral part of their plans to ascend in the Eastern Conference. However, in a similar move as the one Philadelphia made, the Celtics traded Richardson for a more reliable shooter in Derrick White during the most recent NBA trade deadline.
Josh Richardson – San Antonio Spurs
Richardson finds himself in an interesting position for the remainder of the NBA season. San Antonio is largely a young team, that has an uphill battle to make the play-in tournament in the Western Conference. Coach Gregg Popovich has never been one to egregiously tank, so one would think if Richardson is playing well and deserves to be on the floor, he will see action. However, for the long-term development of the franchise, it might be better for San Antonio to get an extended look at players like Devin Vassell and Joshua Primo.
Josh Richardson – NBA Future
As intimated above, it will be intriguing to see how Richardson’s unfolds. Because of the extension, he signed before the season, he’s on the books for another year with the Spurs at just over $12 million. As an expiring contract next year, don’t be surprised if he’s on the move once again.
What number does Josh Richardson wear?
The small forward of the San Antonio Spurs wears number 7.
