When the Miami Heat drafted Josh Richardson in the second round of the 2015 draft, he was viewed as a project. He was viewed as the lesser of the Heat rookies as Justise Winslow received a lot of the hype as he was a first-rounder.
Yet, Richardson worked his tail off and he developed into a legitimate NBA starter in the league.
“I mentioned it before that he’s one of our great stories of development,” said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. “Second rounders are up against it. It’s not an easy path. The overwhelming majority of them don’t make it. You have to have some level of inner fortitude, work ethic, and character. J-Rich checked all those boxes. He’s a Miami Heat player all the way through.”
The Heat have a history of developing players through their “culture” and the way they run things. In the past, they turned diamonds in the rough like Mario Chalmers and Hassan Whiteside into starter’s on playoff teams. Richardson also gave the Heat a lot of credit for his development recently and it’s something that Spoelstra will always cherish with him.
“We both benefited from that relationship, it was a joy to work with him and that relationship will transcend,” he added. “It really speaks a whole lot about him and his relationship with the staff. The trade went down and he was still planning on meeting everybody in Vegas during Summer League to work with our staff, instead, he had to work with the Sixers staff.”
Miami moved the 4-year veteran to the Philadelphia 76ers in the offseason in order to acquire to Jimmy Butler. It was a move that had to be made for both sides as the Heat looked for a closer while the Sixers looked for a do-it-all shooting guard who could help them continue their chase for an NBA title.
So far, the trade is working for both sides as Butler is leading the Heat to the top of the East standings and Richardson is contributing in all areas for Philadelphia.
“Understanding that it is a business and in order to get a great player, you have to give up a great talent,” the Heat coach finished with. “It’s a big compliment, he fits really well there as we could have anticipated.” [lawrence-related id=22406,22395,22387]