Former Vol Richardson picks up NBA honor – WBIR.com
KNOXVILLE (School Release) – Former Tennessee basketball star and current Miami Heat guard Josh Richardson was named the Kia NBA Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month Tuesday for games played in March.
The Southeastern Conference swept the March Rookie of the Month awards, as former Kentucky standout and current Minnesota Timberwolves forward Karl-Anthony Towns received the honor for the NBA’s Western Conference.
Richardson helped the Heat go 10-5 in March by ranking second among Eastern Conference rookies in scoring (12.0 ppg) and assists (2.1 apg) and leading the conference’s first-year players in field-goal percentage (.537), 3-point percentage (.589) and steals (1.3 spg).
The 2015 All-SEC and SEC All-Defensive Team selection averaged 29.1 minutes per game for Miami last month and scored in double figures in eight of 10 games from March 9-28.
“J-Rich just continues to develop and takes all the responsibilities and challenges in stride,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told the Palm Beach Post last week. “That’s what it’s about. This league is about your opportunities. Every time he’s been given whatever, reserve minutes, plug minutes, developmental minutes in Sioux Falls, starter minutes, he’s made the most of all those opportunities.”
Richardson’s versatility was on full display March 14, when the Edmond, Oklahoma, native totaled 17 points (including 4-of-5 shooting from 3-point range), four rebounds, three blocks, two assists and two steals in a 124-119 win over the Denver Nuggets.
He also scored 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting and dished out four assists in a 188-96 road win over the Chicago Bulls on March 11. And during a 110-99 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on March 28, Richardson tallied 16 points, five rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals.
In 46 appearances this season, Richardson is averaging 6.3 points (tied for 14th among NBA rookies) 1.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 0.5 blocks per game. He is shooting .463 from the field and an impressive .484 from 3-point range. Among players who have appeared in at least 40 games and who are averaging at least one made 3-pointer per game, his shooting percentage from beyond the arc is the best in the league.
Richardson—the 40th overall pick in last year’s draft—was the fifth-rated rookie in the entire NBA in last week’s CBSsports.com NBA Rookie Power Rankings.
The Heat currently occupy fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings with a 44-32 record and six games left to play in the regular season. Miami is one of four teams—along with Atlanta, Boston and Charlotte—all within one game of each other in the middle of the Eastern Conference playoff race.
