Syracuse Basketball: Toronto stole Malachi Richardson from Sacramento
The Toronto Raptors just dealt next to nothing in Bruno Caboclo for Syracuse basketball alum and promising 3-and-D option, Malachi Richardson.
Unlike Bruno Caboclo, the Syracuse product and newly acquired Raptor, Malachi Richardson, is not “two years away from being two years away”, and can benefit Toronto immediately.
ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla, who made that comment during the 2014 NBA draft, could not have been more accurate.
Over a disturbingly bad four seasons with the Raptors, Caboclo shot below 27% and played in just nine games with the club. The Brazil product has played 112 games in the G-League, and has exemplified the term “bust”.
Earlier this month, I eluded to how high Richardson’s ceiling is if given the chance, and how he could thrive in the Eastern Conference.
In that article, I mentioned how he would soon be acquired for “next to nothing”, and become a deadly 3-and-D option, or simply flourish as a role player.
After seeing very little NBA action since being taken 22nd overall by the Kings in 2016, many have forgotten just how scary Richardson was at Syracuse.
For those who don’t remember, Richardson established himself as one of the NCAA’s scariest players in an Elite Eight matchup with No. 1 seed Virginia.
After missing all five shots he took in the first half, Richardson entered the break with just two points, and the Orange trailed the Cavaliers by 14. With then senior and currently reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Malcolm Brogdon glued to him for the first 20 minutes of the contest, most thought the scoring sensation out of New Jersey would continue to struggle in the second half.
Suddenly, Richardson shot a strong 6-of-11 in the second frame, made Brogdon look silly, and single-handedly led the Orange to one of the biggest tournament upsets of all time. Richardson additionally grabbed seven rebounds and collected two steals in the win.
Two years later, Richardson now finds himself joining one of the deepest bench units the NBA has to offer. Sure, it may seem like he will continue to see limited action, but he won’t.
The 22-year-old has played in just 47 games at the NBA level, most of which have come in garbage time. In those contests, Richardson has shot just below 37% from the field. However, it is his performance in the G-League that has given many including myself plenty of reason to believe that Richardson has what it takes to compete in the NBA.
Richardson averaged 18 points and five rebounds on 40% shooting from three-point land for Sacramento’s G-League affiliate.
What many fail to realize is that Richardson’s limited action was a result of poorly timed injuries, and lack of prioritization on the youngest team in the NBA. After already having a young talent pool to experiment with, the Kings entered the 2017-18 season with rookies De’Aaron Fox, Justin Jackson, Frank Mason III, Harry Giles, and Bogdan Bogdanović.
Richardson, who is most accustomed to playing the shooting guard position, would have been forever slotted behind Buddy Hield and Bogdanović had he stayed on the Kings.
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As a team, the Raptors have been surprisingly efficient from three-point land this season. However, their two backup guards, Delon Wright and Fred VanVleet, both play the point guard position. There is no doubt in my mind that if given the opportunity, Richardson can serve as a strong backup option for DeMar DeRozan in Toronto’s rotation, and give head coach Dwane Casey another viable option off the bench.