Josh Richardson

After starting 56 games for the Mavs last season, Richardson was dealt to the Celtics in July. In Boston, the versatile wing will need to fight for a starting spot in training camp. His numbers have declined since his last season in Miami, when he delivered 16.6 points, 4.1 assists and 2.2 three-pointers per game in 2018-19. But as Richardson enters his age-28 season, he's still a rugged defender and an excellent free throw shooter. Last year's 33.0 percent shooting from behind the arc signifies a four-year decline since Richardson shot 37.8 percent from three in 2017-18. With the off-season trade of Kemba Walker and the additions of Richardson and Dennis Schroder, Boston's backcourt is in flux. The most likely outcome is Schroder starting at point guard, Smart at shooting guard, and Richardson backing up both Smart and starting small forward Jaylen Brown. That should result in a sizable nightly role, but if Richardson's outside shooting continues to tail off, Boston could be tempted to turn to developing young wings Aaron Nesmith and Romeo Langford.

Richardson came to Philadelphia last offseason as part of a sign-and-trade for Jimmy Butler. The move can be considered a disappointing one on the Sixers' end, however, as both the team and Richardson wound up taking small steps backwards. Richardson was limited to just 55 games, in part due to a pair of spells on the sidelines with hamstring issues, and was unable to repeat his strong 2018-2019 numbers when available. His points per game dropped from 16.6 to 13.7, and that can't be blamed entirely on playing alongside the likes of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, as his usage rate dipped negligibly from 20.9 percent to 20.6 percent. The breakdown of his shots changed, as his three-point attempts dipped from 6.5 per game to 5.3, and he made shots from downtown at a slightly lower rate (34.1 percent, down from 35.7 percent the previous season). Heading into 2020-21, Richardson will be on a new team again, as he was traded from the 76ers to the Mavericks over the offseason for Seth Curry. That said, it doesn't seem like Richardson's role will change much in Dallas. Similar to the 76ers, the Mavericks have two clear-cut primary offensive options in Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. So, Richardson will likely continue to be a third or fourth option most nights. As a result, his fantasy value doesn't seem like it will change drastically.

Richardson is coming off a breakout campaign in which he contributed career highs in points (16.6), assists (4.1), rebounds (3.6), made threes (2.2) and minutes (34.8) per game. He also converted a career-best 86.1 percent from the charity stripe. Though his field goal and three-point shooting percentages were both below his career marks, he committed only 1.5 turnovers per showing after posting 2.9 assists versus 1.7 turnovers in 2017-18. It's fair to wonder whether Richardson will be able to maintain or improve upon those impressive offensive counting stats since he's now more of a fourth or even fifth option for the 76ers, rather than the primary option for the Heat. Still, Richardson could benefit from an efficiency standpoint while turning in more steals and blocks given that his likely role as a complementary offensive player will theoretically allow him to allocate more of his energy to the defensive end. Even if a slight regression is to be expected, Richardson remains an appealing option in the middle rounds of fantasy drafts thanks to his well-rounded skillset and willingness to get after it on both ends of the court.

After injuries limited him to 53 games in 2016-17, Richardson was able to stay healthy last year and start all 81 of his appearances. He was one of the biggest surprises in Fantasy, turning in a top-40 season in many formats. Seeing 33.2 minutes per tilt, the Tennessee product averaged 12.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and a combined 2.4 steals/blocks. He also shot a solid 45.1 percent from the field, an impressive 84.5 percent from the charity stripe, and knocked down 1.6 threes per game at 37.8 percent. The 24-year-old will presumably occupy a starting role again this season, and the possibility remains of him improving across the board once more. Optimists could justify selecting Richardson in the third round of a Fantasy draft, though the integration of Dion Waiters back into the rotation following ankle surgery could drive Richardson’s usage down.

Richardson struggled shooting the ball last season, hitting just 39.4 percent of his overall looks and 33.0 percent of his attempts from deep for 10.2 PPG. His inefficiency is somewhat unusual considering he was pegged as a scorer out of college and shot 45.2 percent from the field and 46.1 percent from three during his rookie campaign for 6.6 PPG. He also played just 53 games last season while dealing with foot and ankle issues, which could have contributed to his poor shooting to some extent. Other than his scoring, Richardson averaged a subpar statline of 3.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.1 steals across 30.5 minutes per game. He was also given that substantial workload largely of a result of the Heat’s backcourt being decimated by injury throughout the year, especially the loss of Justice Winslow for all but 18 contests. So, while it’s possible that Richardson will make some strides in his game, it appears that he could very well suffer a decreased workload. Considering he had little Fantasy value while garnering starter’s minutes, Richardson’s Fantasy value has the potential to be quite low during the 2017-18 campaign.

Richardson was the 40th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft after spending four years playing at the University of Tennessee. He grew into an effective scorer by his senior year, where he averaged 16.0 points per game while shooting 46 percent from the field and 36 percent from behind the arc. Richardson wasn't as impressive in the summer league, as he shot just 39 percent from the field in 10 games, but he still showed flashes of potential and managed to average 11.8 points per game. As he enters his rookie season, the 21-year-old will be fighting for court time with fellow shooting guards Gerald Green and Tyler Johnson, with All-Star Dwyane Wade firmly ahead of them all. Should Richardson earn court time this season, he likely won't be able to do much besides score the ball, and it's possible he could see some time in the D-League this year given the depth the team currently has at the position. Nevertheless, given Richardson's size for his position and scoring ability, he could potentially work his way into the rotation in the near future.