In the first three games of his third campaign, Miami Heat forward Josh Richardson has continued to make a major impact on both ends of the floor.
Following his all-around performance in Monday's win over the Atlanta Hawks where he registered 21 points with two blocks and two steals, head coach Erik Spoelstra spewed much praise toward the 24-year-old's play on the court.
Spoelstra: ""What didn't J-Rich do tonight? He was great defensively. Those are the type of plays at the rim that we had a former two-guard here make, those kind of blocks. There's not many twos in the league that can make those kind of plays."
— Manny Navarro (@Manny_Navarro) October 24, 2017
Josh Richardson has carried over his strong defensive play from the preseason where he recorded eight blocks and seven steals in just six games played. This included a four-block game in the preseason opener against the Hawks.
This has certainly warranted praise from Erik Spoelstra and the fact that he has referenced former franchise player and now Cleveland Cavaliers star Dwyane Wade in comparison to Richardson is a huge compliment. During his heyday with the Heat, Wade was a premier defender at his position and made a major impact on that end of the floor.
Prior to the start of the regular season, Richardson had voiced that he wanted to break Dwyane Wade's Heat franchise record for blocks. Although he has a long way to go to reach that mark, his continued strong play at the rim and defensive awareness could lead to many blocks that could one day get him on pace to own that prestigious mark.
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