Syracuse Basketball Player Profiles: The Starting Five

Mar 28, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; McDonalds High School All American athlete Malachi Richardson (1) poses for pictures during portrait day at the Westin Hotel. Photo Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Malachi Richardson

Richardson comes in as a highly touted McDonald’s All-American. He was the New Jersey player of the year last year and came inches from a state title.

This year, expect him to see most of his offensive minutes roaming the perimeter. Although he has worked on his dribbling and drives to the hoop, I think this year he is used as a floor spacer along the perimeter to help keep defenses honest. With the abundance of shooters this team has, it’s quite possible we’ll see three players outside the arc most of the time. This floor spacing will not only open up shots for our marksmen, it will also open big lanes to the hoop that guys like Cooney, Joseph, and Gbinije can exploit.

I don’t really expect Malachi to be the focal point of the offense this year. He’s a great player, but he’s no Carmelo. I can see him averaging somewhere in the neighborhood of six to eight points a game. He will be a solid role player for Syracuse. Don’t be surprised if he lights it up from time to time when he gets hot.

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