#25: Welcome to Orlando, Jase Richardson!

[Furinkazan]

bleacher predicted our pick

Pro Comparison: Tyrese Maxey

[cedric76]

Jett doing a great job

I woke up at 4am to read THIS?

He keeps accidentally referring to “Jeff” Weltman as “Jett”

For 29 other NBA fanbases that sort of typo wouldn’t be a problem. But alas…

lol at my typo, n ot the 1st time i m doing it, it might be a sign that i like booker lite

[basketballRob]

Jett doing a great job

I woke up at 4am to read THIS?

He keeps accidentally referring to “Jeff” Weltman as “Jett”

For 29 other NBA fanbases that sort of typo wouldn’t be a problem. But alas…

Jett is haunting him now. Jeff referred to Jase as Jett in the press conference. Jeff probably hears everyone calling Jett a blown pick.

Sent from my SM-G998U1 using RealGM mobile app

[ORLMagicGirl15]

Welcome to the Magic. I don’t know who you are but please, don’t be a bust.

[jezzerinho]

There is good reason why you can't find single 6'0 shooting guard in modern era and you have to reach out to mid 2000s to find people.

Today average size for SG is bit below 6'5 and around 195-210 pounds, depending on height.
Like, people consider JJ Reddick "small". Guy is 6'4 without shoes, most of playing time he was near 200 pounds.

Steph Curry, again, not 6'0- but near 6'3 (without shoes)
Eric Gordon - 6'3 without shoes, 6'9 wingspan.
Trae Young and "leaf during hurricane" frame- 6'1 without shoes. And 183 pounds.


Only people in nba who are actually 6'0 are very selective company of point guards ( Devion Mitchell, Chris Paul, Vleet, Lowry, Conley, that is pretty much it ). Like, even Brunson at combine without shoes scaled bit over 6'1.
And vast majority of those players are: incredible ball handlers and bit of chubby with strong frame and thick build, with lower center of gravity that gives them stability. Like, Brunson at combine was 198 pounds

To fully understand how small Jase is, he has identical numbers ( height, weight, wingspan) like Devonte Graham.


So yea. It will be pretty much uphill battle for J Rich jr. to get PT and to stay in nba. He is not good ball handler/passer and even if he is elite shooter, by college standards, getting his shots up in nba will VERY difficult for player of his size. Just watch video of Duncan Robinson off ball movement and level of difficulty of shots he takes, and guy is 6'10 and in theory he "towers" over 70% of a league.

I'm not too worried about defense, but goes without saying that guards will be licking chops when they see 6'0- 180 pounds guard in pick&roll , it's normal.

He really has to work on his off ball hand and be able to make near impossible shots to compensate for his height. He is not that fast nor athletic ( unlike Jason ) so he won't be flying and attacking rim. Most of his game will be catching ball and taking fly-by long 3s.

Tha said, if he is elite prospect, he wouldn't be up to grab at 25# so it goes without saying that he has set of weaknesses.

Wish him nothing that i wouldn't wish myself. Time will tell. Can't be worst than Jett

Funny you say that because I came away from looking at 5 or 6 Spartans games thinking he reminded me of a smaller Jett Howard.

Haven't been following the draft or March Madness this year, so it was my first look at him. Frankly not wildly impressed with the selection, but he at least hungrier and more competitive than the average guy. Heavy footed tho, will be v easy to defend in the pros. Johnny Davis had a lot more feel and look how he's done. Fingers crossed for a lot of on-ball development for him.

Wish him speedy progress.

[bigdogdylan5]

I have concerns that this is Cole 2.0.

Yes, Jase was more efficient in college than Cole. Yes, he has a 6’6” wingspan, but Jase is going to have to do it against much bigger and better athletes now. And he doesn’t have Cole’s bounce.
He’s 6-foot barefoot and weighed 178 pounds at the combine.

I hope he was drafted for another team (but it doesn’t seem like it based on early indications).

I don’t get this at all. Jase and Cole could not be more different. There is a mountain of difference between the two. Cole is an inefficient chucker and refused to play off the ball. Jase was one of the most efficient players in college basketball and excelled playing off the ball. Yea they are both small guards but that is where the similarities end.

[GelbeWand09]

There is good reason why you can't find single 6'0 shooting guard in modern era and you have to reach out to mid 2000s to find people.

Today average size for SG is bit below 6'5 and around 195-210 pounds, depending on height.
Like, people consider JJ Reddick "small". Guy is 6'4 without shoes, most of playing time he was near 200 pounds.

Steph Curry, again, not 6'0- but near 6'3 (without shoes)
Eric Gordon - 6'3 without shoes, 6'9 wingspan.
Trae Young and "leaf during hurricane" frame- 6'1 without shoes. And 183 pounds.


Only people in nba who are actually 6'0 are very selective company of point guards ( Devion Mitchell, Chris Paul, Vleet, Lowry, Conley, that is pretty much it ). Like, even Brunson at combine without shoes scaled bit over 6'1.
And vast majority of those players are: incredible ball handlers and bit of chubby with strong frame and thick build, with lower center of gravity that gives them stability. Like, Brunson at combine was 198 pounds

To fully understand how small Jase is, he has identical numbers ( height, weight, wingspan) like Devonte Graham.


So yea. It will be pretty much uphill battle for J Rich jr. to get PT and to stay in nba. He is not good ball handler/passer and even if he is elite shooter, by college standards, getting his shots up in nba will VERY difficult for player of his size. Just watch video of Duncan Robinson off ball movement and level of difficulty of shots he takes, and guy is 6'10 and in theory he "towers" over 70% of a league.

I'm not too worried about defense, but goes without saying that guards will be licking chops when they see 6'0- 180 pounds guard in pick&roll , it's normal.

He really has to work on his off ball hand and be able to make near impossible shots to compensate for his height. He is not that fast nor athletic ( unlike Jason ) so he won't be flying and attacking rim. Most of his game will be catching ball and taking fly-by long 3s.

Tha said, if he is elite prospect, he wouldn't be up to grab at 25# so it goes without saying that he has set of weaknesses.

Wish him nothing that i wouldn't wish myself. Time will tell. Can't be worst than Jett

Funny you say that because I came away from looking at 5 or 6 Spartans games thinking he reminded me of a smaller Jett Howard.

Haven't been following the draft or March Madness this year, so it was my first look at him. Frankly not wildly impressed with the selection, but he at least hungrier and more competitive than the average guy. Heavy footed tho, will be v easy to defend in the pros. Johnny Davis had a lot more feel and look how he's done. Fingers crossed for a lot of on-ball development for him.

Wish him speedy progress.

I havent watched any prospect this year. So you can definitely say more about him as i am, but the Johnny Davis comparison doesnt look got when you check the stats. Davis had .518TS% in his 2 year college career. He shot 30% from 3 in his sophomore year. Negative A/TO ratio. The only thing he could do was getting to the freethrowline at a high clip which was unlikely to hold up in the pros because he was not a great athlete. That this guy was drafted top 10 is a laughable. He was a guard that coudnt shoot, coudnt pass and coudnt finish.

I'm a big believer in advanced stats, so i like the pick at 25. If he becomes a .600TS% scorer (even if mainly catch & shoot 3's), with low turnovers for 15-20 mpg like in college thats great value at 25.

[SloNick Russia]

Jase was not selected to be a starter and he will probably never be.
But I would love a same size Pippen Jr on the bench for us, why can't Jase bring similar or higher value?
His shooting stats are awsome for a college freshmen.

Sent from my SM-S928B using RealGM mobile app

[jezzerinho]

There is good reason why you can't find single 6'0 shooting guard in modern era and you have to reach out to mid 2000s to find people.

Today average size for SG is bit below 6'5 and around 195-210 pounds, depending on height.
Like, people consider JJ Reddick "small". Guy is 6'4 without shoes, most of playing time he was near 200 pounds.

Steph Curry, again, not 6'0- but near 6'3 (without shoes)
Eric Gordon - 6'3 without shoes, 6'9 wingspan.
Trae Young and "leaf during hurricane" frame- 6'1 without shoes. And 183 pounds.


Only people in nba who are actually 6'0 are very selective company of point guards ( Devion Mitchell, Chris Paul, Vleet, Lowry, Conley, that is pretty much it ). Like, even Brunson at combine without shoes scaled bit over 6'1.
And vast majority of those players are: incredible ball handlers and bit of chubby with strong frame and thick build, with lower center of gravity that gives them stability. Like, Brunson at combine was 198 pounds

To fully understand how small Jase is, he has identical numbers ( height, weight, wingspan) like Devonte Graham.


So yea. It will be pretty much uphill battle for J Rich jr. to get PT and to stay in nba. He is not good ball handler/passer and even if he is elite shooter, by college standards, getting his shots up in nba will VERY difficult for player of his size. Just watch video of Duncan Robinson off ball movement and level of difficulty of shots he takes, and guy is 6'10 and in theory he "towers" over 70% of a league.

I'm not too worried about defense, but goes without saying that guards will be licking chops when they see 6'0- 180 pounds guard in pick&roll , it's normal.

He really has to work on his off ball hand and be able to make near impossible shots to compensate for his height. He is not that fast nor athletic ( unlike Jason ) so he won't be flying and attacking rim. Most of his game will be catching ball and taking fly-by long 3s.

Tha said, if he is elite prospect, he wouldn't be up to grab at 25# so it goes without saying that he has set of weaknesses.

Wish him nothing that i wouldn't wish myself. Time will tell. Can't be worst than Jett

Funny you say that because I came away from looking at 5 or 6 Spartans games thinking he reminded me of a smaller Jett Howard.

Haven't been following the draft or March Madness this year, so it was my first look at him. Frankly not wildly impressed with the selection, but he at least hungrier and more competitive than the average guy. Heavy footed tho, will be v easy to defend in the pros. Johnny Davis had a lot more feel and look how he's done. Fingers crossed for a lot of on-ball development for him.

Wish him speedy progress.

I havent watched any prospect this year. So you can definitely say more about him as i am, but the Johnny Davis comparison doesnt look got when you check the stats. Davis had .518TS% in his 2 year college career. He shot 30% from 3 in his sophomore year. Negative A/TO ratio. The only thing he could do was getting to the freethrowline at a high clip which was unlikely to hold up in the pros because he was not a great athlete. That this guy was drafted top 10 is a laughable. He was a guard that coudnt shoot, coudnt pass and coudnt finish.

I'm a big believer in advanced stats, so i like the pick at 25. If he becomes a .600TS% scorer (even if mainly catch & shoot 3's), with low turnovers for 15-20 mpg like in college thats great value at 25.

It was just a name I pulled put of my azz a bit when thinking of unathletic undersized guards that find it much harder to get their shots off in the pros. Maybe not the best choice.

But Jase will find it tough to be efficient in the NBA imo. He might start off ok till defenses pay him minimal respect and then I foresee it being heavy sledding till he develops further.

[AdamTheGreek]

I have concerns that this is Cole 2.0.

Yes, Jase was more efficient in college than Cole. Yes, he has a 6’6” wingspan, but Jase is going to have to do it against much bigger and better athletes now. And he doesn’t have Cole’s bounce.
He’s 6-foot barefoot and weighed 178 pounds at the combine.

I hope he was drafted for another team (but it doesn’t seem like it based on early indications).

I don’t get this at all. Jase and Cole could not be more different. There is a mountain of difference between the two. Cole is an inefficient chucker and refused to play off the ball. Jase was one of the most efficient players in college basketball and excelled playing off the ball. Yea they are both small guards but that is where the similarities end.

Didn’t mean it as similar game styles.

I meant it as he won’t be able to stay on the floor.

[pepe1991]

Funny you say that because I came away from looking at 5 or 6 Spartans games thinking he reminded me of a smaller Jett Howard.

Haven't been following the draft or March Madness this year, so it was my first look at him. Frankly not wildly impressed with the selection, but he at least hungrier and more competitive than the average guy. Heavy footed tho, will be v easy to defend in the pros. Johnny Davis had a lot more feel and look how he's done. Fingers crossed for a lot of on-ball development for him.

Wish him speedy progress.

I havent watched any prospect this year. So you can definitely say more about him as i am, but the Johnny Davis comparison doesnt look got when you check the stats. Davis had .518TS% in his 2 year college career. He shot 30% from 3 in his sophomore year. Negative A/TO ratio. The only thing he could do was getting to the freethrowline at a high clip which was unlikely to hold up in the pros because he was not a great athlete. That this guy was drafted top 10 is a laughable. He was a guard that coudnt shoot, coudnt pass and coudnt finish.

I'm a big believer in advanced stats, so i like the pick at 25. If he becomes a .600TS% scorer (even if mainly catch & shoot 3's), with low turnovers for 15-20 mpg like in college thats great value at 25.

It was just a name I pulled put of my azz a bit when thinking of unathletic undersized guards that find it much harder to get their shots off in the pros. Maybe not the best choice.

But Jase will find it tough to be efficient in the NBA imo. He might start off ok till defenses pay him minimal respect and then I foresee it being heavy sledding till he develops further.

There are simply very few nba guards , who aren't point guards, that even sniff in nba being sub 6'1.
That's one of extinct archetypes in nba. Like heavy, fat PF who plays with backs with basket or shooting guard who can't shoot.

Best case Miles McBride?

[bigdogdylan5]

I have concerns that this is Cole 2.0.

Yes, Jase was more efficient in college than Cole. Yes, he has a 6’6” wingspan, but Jase is going to have to do it against much bigger and better athletes now. And he doesn’t have Cole’s bounce.
He’s 6-foot barefoot and weighed 178 pounds at the combine.

I hope he was drafted for another team (but it doesn’t seem like it based on early indications).

I don’t get this at all. Jase and Cole could not be more different. There is a mountain of difference between the two. Cole is an inefficient chucker and refused to play off the ball. Jase was one of the most efficient players in college basketball and excelled playing off the ball. Yea they are both small guards but that is where the similarities end.

Didn’t mean it as similar game styles.

I meant it as he won’t be able to stay on the floor.

TJ McConnell is 6’1” and he did pretty good job staying on the floor and his wingspan is not 6’6”. We don’t even need him to be a starter. Provide shooting and scoring off the bench while being a willing passer. It’s a no brainer on my end. We are the most equipped team in the league to bring in a player like him because of our size everywhere else

[Knightro]

Didn’t mean it as similar game styles.

I meant it as he won’t be able to stay on the floor.

Cole for all of his warts, and there were plenty, would have consistently been able to stick on the floor if he had been a 41% 3PT shooter.

Cole's problem wasn't just that he was a target defensively, it was that he was a target defensively *and* he couldn't really mitigate it by being an efficient offensive player.

[eyriq]

I havent watched any prospect this year. So you can definitely say more about him as i am, but the Johnny Davis comparison doesnt look got when you check the stats. Davis had .518TS% in his 2 year college career. He shot 30% from 3 in his sophomore year. Negative A/TO ratio. The only thing he could do was getting to the freethrowline at a high clip which was unlikely to hold up in the pros because he was not a great athlete. That this guy was drafted top 10 is a laughable. He was a guard that coudnt shoot, coudnt pass and coudnt finish.

I'm a big believer in advanced stats, so i like the pick at 25. If he becomes a .600TS% scorer (even if mainly catch & shoot 3's), with low turnovers for 15-20 mpg like in college thats great value at 25.

It was just a name I pulled put of my azz a bit when thinking of unathletic undersized guards that find it much harder to get their shots off in the pros. Maybe not the best choice.

But Jase will find it tough to be efficient in the NBA imo. He might start off ok till defenses pay him minimal respect and then I foresee it being heavy sledding till he develops further.

There are simply very few nba guards , who aren't point guards, that even sniff in nba being sub 6'1.
That's one of extinct archetypes in nba. Like heavy, fat PF who plays with backs with basket or shooting guard who can't shoot.

Best case Miles McBride?

How many small guards even get drafted in the first place? That’s the real context. It’s not that small guards never succeed, it’s that few get picked at all. Once a small guard is drafted, the odds of sticking are better than people think. You have to factor in the low base rate to begin with.

[magicfan217]

The Magic need guys that can contribute ASAP...and I am more concerned about his AGE being a bigger deterent to that than his size. But at #25 to get a guy that the stats nerds loved this much seems like a worthwhile gamble.

[yoyojw17]

Didn’t mean it as similar game styles.

I meant it as he won’t be able to stay on the floor.

Cole for all of his warts, and there were plenty, would have consistently been able to stick on the floor if he had been a 41% 3PT shooter.

Cole's problem wasn't just that he was a target defensively, it was that he was a target defensively *and* he couldn't really mitigate it by being an efficient offensive player.

He was a plus defender as a Freshman on a TOM IZZO coached team. A. from what i've heard, it's already hard enough for freshmen to start on the spartans and defense is always a requirement. Yet... here we are with this freshman starting at seasons end and helping drive the spartans in the tournament.

There is always a chance for things NOT to translate.... but as of now the guy did it at such a rate that we can't take his abilities for granted.

People were just saying how they wanted Jose Alvarado ....

Several players are listed at 6'0", proving that size is not the only determinant of success in the NBA:
Jose Alvarado (New Orleans Pelicans)
Mike Conley (Minnesota Timberwolves)
Aaron Holiday (Houston Rockets)
Kyle Lowry (Philadelphia 76ers)
Jordan McLaughlin (Minnesota Timberwolves)
Davion Mitchell (Miami Heat)
Chris Paul (San Antonio Spurs)
Fred VanVleet (Houston Rockets)
KJ Simpson (Charlotte Hornets)
Isaiah Stevens (Miami Heat)

Then you have at 6' 1"
Darius Garland
Dennis Schroder
Miles McBride
Payton Pritchard
Scotty Pippen Jr.
TJ McConnell

.....Yeah.... Jase can do just fine in this league with IQ, Talent, and Tenacity.

Great pick and i'm happy to bring him on the train to success! Now.... when is the Summer league!

[The-Power]

Congratulations to you guys! What an awesome pick at #25. To be honest, I had him much higher than that despite not starting out with him that high for the same reasons some of you might be hesitant to celebrate (lack of size, not a primary playmaker, not quite ideal volume on 3s). After watching him more closely, though, he had won me over.

I'd go so far to say that he is one of the few players after Flagg and Harper that I could see becoming NBA stars. Is that a likely outcome? No. But it seems at least reasonably possible (via a path similar to the one Brunson took). You won't often find Guards this young that are so efficient across the board on fairly high volume in a strong college conference.

And the good thing with Jase is that even if he never becomes a star-level player (which is almost always the more likely outcome for any draft prospect), there is an obvious path to being a long-term NBA rotation player. He can shoot, he has had success playing off the ball, he can offer secondary or tertiary creation and make plays, and while he might always be a target on defense in certain match-ups, he has solid enough length, foot speed and effort to not be a complete liability.

The fit with the Magic is glorious, too. He offers shooting and dynamic scoring from the back court which was very much needed (and with Bane added, he can still help in that regard but there is less pressure on him), and the length of the front court as well as the defense of the backcourt can help him find his footing on defense at least until he fills out.

So once again, congrats on that pick and at least for me he adds to the reasons to follow the Magic very closely next year.

[basketballRob]

I have no problem with this pick. He was the highest-rated player available on ESPN. He has a higher standing reach and wingspan than Garland does. Let's hope he can shoot it as good as Garland can in the NBA. If he can learn to play PG, that's a bonus.

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[UCFJayBird]

Thought it was a no brainer with who was left on the board and personally I love the pick. A good defender who shoots at a ridiculous clip and plays well off the ball?

If he were 6'6 like his wingspan he'd be a Top 10 pick, lol.

[Knightro]

I absolutely get the concerns about small guards and how difficult they often find sledding in the NBA.

But I would counter that by saying most small guards also find sledding difficult *in college* as well. The ones who didn't have much trouble in college didn't really have much trouble in the NBA either.

Here are the top 10 small freshman guards (guys listed 6'2 or under) who were efficient scorers in college sorted by their college TS%.

1. Kyrie Irving .697 (only 11 games)
2. Darius Garland .657 (only 5 games)
3. Chris Paul .645
4. George Hill .599
5. Rob Dillingham .595
6. Jameer Nelson .593
7. D.J. Augustin .588
8. Trae Young .585
9. Mike Conley Jr. .584
10. Ty Lawson .581

Jase was at .624 TS% this past season.

And none of those guys were complete busts. A lot of all-stars and even the guys who weren't all-stars went on to have long 500+ game careers.

Now... most of those guys listed above were point guards and Jase didn't show serious point guard caliber playmaking skills in college, but the point is that little guards who were able to score efficiently in college usually saw it also translate to the next level.

You look at small freshmen guards who went on to be first round picks - but weren't very efficient as scorers in college - more often than not, they didn't become more efficient as the competition got tougher.

List of little guards who were inefficient scorers as college freshman and then continued to be inefficient in the pros after being first round picks is very long: Norris Cole, Marquis Teague, TJ Ford, Darren Collison, Luke Ridnour, Avery Bradley, Shane Larkin, Ray Felton, Jimmer Fredette among many others.

Kyle Lowry is one of the few outliers who sucked in college and got way better after he got into the league.