Syracuse Basketball: Player Grades vs. Lehigh

Nov 13, 2015; Syracuse, NY, USA; Syracuse Orange guard Malachi Richardson (23) shoots the ball between Lehigh Mountain Hawks forward Jesse Chuku (31) and guard Austin Price (5) during the second half at the Carrier Dome. Syracuse defeated Lehigh 57-47. Photo Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Malachi Richardson- 14 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals, 5 turnovers, 5-12 overall, 4-9 from 3

Richardson played a pretty solid first game for a freshman. He got hot early, scoring eight of the team’s first 12 points and looked ready to dominate the NCAA immediately. He cooled off some after that, but turned it back on in the second half with another pair of three pointers.

He played some solid defense as well, forcing several turnovers and playing good positional defense on the wing in the 2-3 zone. He also did a good job on the glass, collecting six defensive rebounds to limit the second chance opportunities for Lehigh.

On the negative side, he had five turnovers. Being sloppy with the ball seemed to be a theme for himself, Cooney, and Gbinije. Chalk it up to rust or whatever you want to call it, but he is going to need to work on not telegraphing his passes, especially at the top of the key where there will almost always be a defender ready to pounce.

I give Richardson an overall grade of B+. Although he had some turnovers, he played a very solid game and was a huge factor from the outside. He has a beautiful shooting stroke and he will be lighting it up all year when he gets open looks.