Heat Assistant: Josh Richardson 'An Elite Defensive Player'
Most of the hype emanating from the Miami Heat's 2015 draft can be sourced to Justise Winslow, who nobody imagined would be available for Miami at No. 10 overall.
But as we inch closer to the fall, it would be wise not to sleep on the team's "other" pick in Josh Richardson, taken 40th overall but someone Pat Riley and the Heat pegged with a first-round grade.
"He's an elite defensive player, for that position," Heat assistant Dan Craig tells Heat.com. "He has a skill set defensively where he can move his feet really well, but he's long. And he's super active. He never really takes himself out of position. He stays in place. And he just gets up into the air space of players and makes them uncomfortable."
Helping Richardson's chances to not only make the team but possibly get some minutes as a rookie is his ability to play both point and wing in the Heat's offense. He played both on and off the ball in college at Tennessee. Goran Dragic may be a fixture at point guard for at least the next half-decade but the backup job is up for grabs, with Shabazz Napier, Mario Chalmers (if he's not traded), and Tyler Johnson also in the mix.
Considering Miami's defense ranked 19th in the league last year in efficiency, could Richardson's ability as a stopper propel him to a role next year?
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