Play defense. Run the floor. Make open shots. Keep the ball moving. And, again, play defense.
Will Richard’s role is, in his own words, “simple.”
And as a rookie second-round pick out of Florida, it cannot be argued that Richard has been a standout in his simplicity this preseason.
He has flashed great passing vision while running the Warriors’ famously complex motion offense. And in Tuesday’s 118-111 win over the Trail Blazers, his shot finally came around. The 6-foot-4 rookie scored 13 points while filling in for Jimmy Butler.
“For me, I’ve just been trying to play the right way and keep it simple,” Richard told reporters after the win in Portland. “Throughout training camp, I’ve just been asking a lot of questions. I want to be on the same page as everybody.”
After winning a collegiate championship with the Gators in April, Richard was the 56th pick in the draft by the team he grew up rooting for.
He came off the bench during the first three preseason games, and was ready to do it again on Tuesday. But during morning shootaround, coach Steve Kerr informed him that he would be playing with the starters.
“Will’s good, and he really knows how to play,” Kerr said. “He’s in the right spots all the time and he’s active defensively and sees the game well.”
Richard was ready for it.
“At the end of the day, it’s just basketball,” Richard said. “But it is a little bit different playing with Steph and those guys, because they know how to play, and they play the game for a long time, and it’s a lot more simple when you’re out there with them.”
With Steph Curry and the rest of the veterans, Richard was not focused on getting baskets.
Instead, he held his own while starting on veteran guard Jrue Holiday. In fact, he forced a turnover on his first defensive possession against Holiday.
“Throw him in the fire, and that’s what Steve did, and let him rock,” Gary Payton II said. “I think he did tremendously.”
Richard scored his first basket on a heady cut off a Jonathan Kuminga post-up. Later on, the rookie’s 3-pointers late in the half helped the Warriors come back from an almost 20-point deficit.
Richard is not guaranteed a role with Golden State and might begin the year in Santa Cruz. But if the preseason is any indication, Kerr and the coaching staff believe they might have found a late-round steal in Richard.
“If you’re on the roster, there’s always going to be a path,” Kerr said. “So much happens during the 82. I won’t hesitate to put him out there. I have a lot of confidence in him already.”
