Rookie Jase Richardson finished in double figures on Saturday, leading the Orlando Magic to a 126-118 victory over the Miami Heat in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Richardson produced a team-high 13 points, four rebounds, two assists and one steal in the win at Coliseo de Puerto Rico. He went 5-of-11 from the field, including a perfect 3-of-3 from 3-point range, in 24 minutes off the bench.
The 25th pick went to work by scoring all 13 of his points in the third quarter to bring the Magic to within three points after trailing 61-50 at halftime. They outscored the Heat 36-25 in the final frame to win their preseason opener on the road.
“I think the second half, the game was just slowing down for me, honestly,” Richardson said. “Just going out there making simple reads. I think the first half, I was trying to rush things a little bit, try to do things I’m usually comfortable with, but I got to learn different ways to get comfortable. I just had to find different angles, different ways to get myself involved.”
With the Magic resting most of their starters in the second half, Tristan da Silva helped share the scoring responsibilities with 12 points, while Reece Beekman had 11 points and Wendell Carter Jr. added 10 points and five rebounds. Franz Wagner did not play (rest).
Richardson has earned rave reviews from coach Jamahl Mosley and others throughout the first week of training camp for the confidence he exudes on the court. The team has also liked the dynamic scoring ability he brings, thanks to his speed and understanding of the game.
With starting point guard Jalen Suggs limited to begin the season due to a knee injury, Richardson should have the opportunity to log extended minutes during the preseason. He has impressed early on and is helping the team on the court.
“There is just a level of confidence that he possesses reading the game, recognizing what guys are doing and how they are playing him,” Mosley said. “His speed, obviously, is such a big advantage for him, but then the other side of it is, we talked all of the time about how inquisitive he is and how he wants to know what to do in any situation. That showed up tonight with his basketball IQ in a lot of these situations.”