SAN FRANCISCO – Did Warriors second-round draft pick Will Richard have a favorite player growing up?
“I did,” Richard said Monday at Chase Center during his introductory press conference. “Stephen Curry.”
When Curry made his NBA debut with the Warriors in 2009, Richard was two months from turning 7 years old. His entire childhood, quite literally, was watching Curry turn into one of the game’s all-time greats. Also like Curry, Richard wasn’t a top high school recruit that had all the blue blood schools clamoring to sign him.
He began his college career at Belmont, a small school in the realm of Curry’s alma mater Davidson. But after a freshman season in which he averaged 12.1 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game, the 6-foot-5 shooting guard became highly sought after in the transfer portal and chose the University of Florida as former University of San Francisco coach Todd Golden’s first recruit for the Gators.
It was under the brightest of lights this past season that Richard earned his money for the national champions.
The show he put on can’t be compared to the Cinderella runs Curry had Davidson on in March Madness, becoming a superstar and must-watch TV as a growing spectacle, game by game. Richard might not wow a crowd, and his style of play isn’t always going to jump off the screen. That isn’t what the Warriors were interested in watching Richard and knowing they needed to find a way to add him in this year’s draft, moving up from No. 59 to No. 56.
Winning is.
Richard was one of only two players to play and start all 40 games for the Gators in a season where they went 36-4 and won their first title since 2007. First Team Consensus All-American and first-round draft pick Walter Clayton Jr. was the other to join Richard there, and he wasn’t the best player on the floor in the championship game against the University of Houston. Richard was.
“I feel like it just shows I’m ready to play at the highest stage,” Richard said. “Playing in a game like that, and just coming out and competing at a high level and helping my team win, I feel like that shows who I am as a player and I feel like I’m ready to do that at the next level as well.”
Clayton scored 34 points in the semifinals and 30 in the Elite Eight to reach the Final Four. He was averaging 18.5 points per game going into the championship game, and then he was held scoreless through the first half. Richard’s 14 first-half points were the sole reason Florida even had a chance of beating Houston and celebrating at the Alamodome.
Once the final buzzer rang, Richard had scored a game-high 18 points on 5-of-10 shooting, went 4 of 7 on threes, grabbed a game-high eight rebounds and also added two assists and two steals. His second steal came with 26 seconds remaining and Florida ahead by one point, again showing the many ways he can impact winning.
Playmaking is where Richard wants to improve most. Stretching the floor, knocking down catch-and-shoot threes and being ferocious defensively are all aspects of his game he believes will easily translate to the NBA. While Richard’s 1.7 steals per game led Florida, he also ranked top five on the team in points per game (13.3), rebounds per game (4.6), assists per game (1.9), 3-point percentage (35.9 percent), free-throw percentage (84.4 percent) and effective field goal percentage (59.2 percent).
“I’m a guy that can do a little bit of everything to help the team win,” Richard says. “Whether that’s spacing the floor, guarding at a high level, rebounding – I’m willing to do whatever it takes to help us win.”
Steve Kerr’s offense is unique and distinct. Even the most talented of players haven’t always quickly adapted. Richard is fully confident he’s on the side of integrating without any hiccups.
“I see myself fitting in perfectly,” Richard said. “They run a great system. A lot of movement, a lot of threes, good cuts and stuff like that. It definitely helps that I ran a system similar, that we’re always moving, definitely using IQ to get the best shot available. I feel like I fit in for them very well.”
Understanding team basketball, and emphasizing every little detail has been hammered into Richard. Stats are on his side, and they also come secondary.
Everything comes back to winning. Those are the words Richard relayed right after becoming a champion. Earning a victory on the Warriors’ home court is something he already is familiar with, having won twice at Chase Center last season in the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight.
“It’s definitely great to be back,” Richard said. “I mean, I was 2-0 when I came here, so I definitely got a history of winning.”
Say less. Priorities won’t be a problem for a player the Warriors hope can be their latest hidden gem at the end of the draft.
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