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<\/a><\/p>\nAmong other things that have mostly been overt, it is a subtle part of Richard\u2019s game that has garnered him a certain level of trust from Kerr and the coaching staff. Despite being a 6\u20193\u201d guard whose short stature adds to a roster that already has plenty of vertically challenged personnel, Richard is able to stay on the floor due to a couple of compensatory tenets. For one, being a high IQ basketball player is music to Kerr\u2019s ears. Another thing is having a 6\u201910\u201d wingspan, giving him a plus-7 wingspan-height difference. For reference, Moses Moody (6\u20195\u201d height, 7\u20191\u201d wingspan) and Draymond Green (6\u20196\u201d height, 7\u20191\u201d wingspan) have similar physical profiles.<\/p>\n
The IQ part of the equation is apparent in the possession above, while another thing that highlights his basketball acumen is his ability to cut into space given to him and off of advantages that have been created for him. Per Synergy tracking, 14 possessions have involved a Richard cut, in which he has scored a total of 18 points \u2014 1.286 points per cut. Synergy requires that a player has to average a minimum of 10 minutes per game and have 10 possessions per play type to qualify for ranking metrics, both of which Richard apparently falls short of. Nevertheless, in his relatively small sample size of being a cutter, he has immediately shown what is arguably his most valuable offensive trait.<\/p>\n
That is to no surprise if you followed his collegiate career. Richard, along with Clayton Jr., is adept at beating \u201ctop-lock\u201d coverages by cutting backdoor. Note how Richard also has a knack for setting his defender up for the backdoor cut: a slight stunt as if to come up for the handoff, before shifting toward the other way:<\/p>\n
So far in his young career, Richard hasn\u2019t had to be treated as a shooter coming off of screens and handoffs to the degree that he commands excessive top-locking \u2014 except for one possession against the Indiana Pacers, in which Richard was somewhat top-locked by Jarace Walker, who found himself on the wrong end of a spin counter that allowed Richard to cut backdoor and dart toward the rim against non-existent rim protection:<\/p>\n Most of the time, what Richard has done instead is to make sure that he is available whenever the defense\u2019s eyes aren\u2019t focused on him and are instead directed toward a more immediate offensive threat. Curry certainly qualifies as one of those immediate threats, while post-ups by the likes of Jonathan Kuminga \u2014 especially against a mismatch \u2014 attract the defense long enough for them to forget that Richard even exists. Before they know it, Richard has already slipped past the weak-side defense and toward a position where the pass can be made:<\/p>\n That goes for Richard whether he\u2019s in the corners or located at the slot area, where he has often taken advantage of defenders looking away from him through opportunistic slot cuts:<\/p>\n The common theme present in most if not all of the cuts above: Richard punishing defenders whose heads are turned away from him, ranging from momentary glances toward the ball to outright ignorance of the lurking danger creeping in from behind. But it\u2019s more than just knowing when defenders are looking away \u2014 it\u2019s also having a sense of timing.<\/p>\n \u201cAs soon as I see the defender\u2019s head turn, that\u2019s when I cut. Or when I see the back of their numbers, that\u2019s when I know to cut,\u201d Richard said after the Warriors\u2019 win over the Pacers.<\/p>\n On a team where prioritization of offensive roles have gone toward profiles who can handle the ball, pass, score, and\/or shoot the ball, Richard \u2014 who doesn\u2019t profile as a ball-handling guard capable of setting the table, nor as an off-the-dribble ball-pounding scorer \u2014 has had to make noise by being deceptively silent, as he has done plenty of times this season through his cuts, while also shooting the three-ball at a more-than-passable rate of 40.7% (11-of-27). There has been as much value garnered from him staying put as there has been from him staying on the move.<\/p>\n Complementing his low-usage offense that has been highly efficient, Richard \u2014 more importantly, it can be argued \u2014 can defend his butt off. Whether as an individual defender cutting off drives and making good use of his arms and hands to contest:<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n