[jwplayer bKE2pMUe-z6KDnl0B]
The Philadelphia 76ers did not have the greatest season in the history of the franchise. It was a tough season in terms of them handling expectations as they were not able to fully replace some of the pieces lost in free agency.
We continue our look back at the 2019-20 season with one of the new guys to come in and try and give the team what they lost. That guy is Josh Richardson who gave the Sixers a little bit of everything in his first season in Philadelphia.
2019-20 season averages
13.7 points
3.2 rebounds
2.9 assists
0.9 steals
43% overall percentage
34.1% from deep
While he certainly was not JJ Redick in terms of his shooting on offense, Richardson offered a lot of versatility for Philadelphia. He offered the ability to be a secondary ball-handler and run the pick-and-roll offense with Ben Simmons rolling and he did a good job of being one of their top perimeter defenders.
On top of what he brought on the court, he was a leader off of it. Demanding more from his teammates when the time called for it morphing into a bit of a leader on the team. He led a players-only meeting in February to address their poor play on the road and he called out the team for their accountability issues on more than one occasion. He was a guy who gave Philadelphia his all every time he stepped on the floor.
In the playoffs against the Boston Celtics, he stepped his offensive game up a bit more. He averaged 16.8 points and 3.8 rebounds in the series while shooting 35.7% from deep on 7.0 attempts per game. He needed to give that offensive production in the playoffs with the struggles of other main offensive pieces. Unfortunately, it just was not enough to help Philadelphia succeed in the series.
Richardson is under contract until 2022, but the final season on the deal is a player option. Considering he is a valuable player to have on any team, the Sixers could look into trading him and including him in any moves to shed salary. If he does remain in Philadelphia, he will continue to be that glue guy the franchise needs to continue to move forward.