Malachi Richardson

[No-Man]

MEM needs a player like that, a wing that has a versatile ceiling but I am just not buying Malachi's potential, the stats are enticing so I guess Hollinger is in

[MemphisX]

Malachi is a bum. Typical Chris Wallace waste of a 1st round pick.

[Notanoob]

MEM needs a player like that, a wing that has a versatile ceiling but I am just not buying Malachi's potential, the stats are enticing so I guess Hollinger is in

His stats are terrible. I can't imagine anyone drafting him based on the numbers that he put up.

[Juggynaut]

Lol even a late 1st round pick would be a reach, he sucks. #17? Good luck with him.

[Upperclass]

I think you all dont see how good this kid is.. but we'll see. Someone will dig up this thread in February asking. "how was he overlooked?!"

[Novocaine]

MEM needs a player like that, a wing that has a versatile ceiling but I am just not buying Malachi's potential, the stats are enticing so I guess Hollinger is in

Isn't he historically inefficient? Looks a lot more like a Wallace pick than a Hollinger one.

He's also played basketball every day of his life since he was 6 years old and been playing top competition probably since he was 12. He went to a basketball school in high school and had very good coaching there, so it's not like he's just learning the game or understanding how to attack a closeout or something.

Isn't his dad a varsity coach as well? Coaching at those "basketball schools" is very hit and miss, and often terrible when it comes to fundamentals.

Richardson displays lack of coaching all around. For example, his lower body shooting mechanics are all messed up. Not the best definition, but look at his feet and knees:
https://i.gyazo.com/abe6953e705867d661d1af6d5a3b9e3a.png
https://i.gyazo.com/000ee0dc58de0304dc9d03edeacd3a28.png

his feet point inwards and when he bends his knees they come together. Of course, the problem isn't that it's weird and ugly, rather being a motion that isn't repeatable when there isn't space and time and that lack of consistency is one of the reasons why he misses so much.

It bemuses me to watch a scouting video of him praising his shooting mechanics and its consistency while showing plays with his mechanics all over the place.

Another thing that shows reckless coaching, every time he comes to a stop (or 95% of the time), he fixes his left foot as the pivot. The Draftexpress scouting video sort of got this one when they said he has a tendency to jab right and drive left, but missed the root of the problem. This is a symptom of bad coaching, good developmental basketball coaches use drills to teach young players to pivot of both feet and correct their tendencies.

Or, more ominously, perhaps the coaching was good and he's uncoachable - he struggled to play zone defense at Syracuse and usually even freshmen pick it up mid season.

For what is worth, I think that if he cleans up these issues - he shows flashes of brilliance defensively and also has loads of potential on that side - and someone is able to discipline his shot selection, persuade him to make the simple pass instead of always going for the highlight reel play, Richardson can be a hell of a player. In terms of raw talent, guys like him don't come around too often. By all accounts, he's a hard worker and a high-character kid, so if he goes somewhere with a good developmental program and a coach that can connect with him, he can become one of the league's best iso scorers in a few years.

[I_Like_Dirt]

Malachi is a bum. Typical Chris Wallace waste of a 1st round pick.

Very much seems like a Chris Wallace pick. The only thing he has as a selling point is his long arms. Otherwise he's somewhere in the vicinity of Jordan Crawford and Tony Allen who shoots more but without the defensive hustle.