Syracuse Basketball: The Evolution of a Team
By David Stone
Look no further than the growth of Malachi Richardson. Richardson has been close to unstoppable lately. After a sub-par shooting stretch in non-conference and early ACC play, Richardson has lit it up over the past nine games. He’s shot 51.8% from 3-point range (28/54) and averaged 5 rebounds per contest. He’s been absolutely deadly from both the perimeter and as a driving threat to get to the rim with ease.
He’s also shown tremendous confidence and that killer instinct. Even if he’s having a bad game, he’s not afraid to keep shooting or take the ball at the defense. He also doesn’t back down from anyone as I’m sure you know if you watched the Notre Dame game. He’s the kind of tenacious, emotional player Syracuse hasn’t had in a few years but desperately needs. And the best part is, he plays even better when he’s pissed off. The possession after that tussle with Notre Dame, he calmly drained a 3 in the face of the defense.
Speaking of defense, Richardson has seen a huge jump in his performance there as well. He’s played the wing considerably better over the past few weeks and has finally learned how to collapse down and cut off the baseline passing lanes. That alone has been a big reason as to why the Syracuse basketball defense has been much improved. He’s also sprinting back on every possession and not allowing teams to get out in transition.