2016 NBA Draft: Syracuse’s Malachi Richardson

With the 2016 NBA Draft just mere hours away, we’ll take a glance at another prospect that could be on the Chicago Bulls’ big board at No. 14: Syracuse’s Malachi Richardson.

When I put together a list of the best options for the Chicago Bulls at each position on the floor leading up to Thursday’s NBA draft, Malachi Richardson wasn’t on my list at the two or the three.

I had Richardson as one of my prospects to avoid, along with Florida State’s Malik Beasley (who has an injury red flag potentially) as a potential wing selection for the Bulls.

But yet, I was still curious about Richardson and wanted to do a deeper dive into his game heading into the draft.

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So, I glanced at more than Richardson’s 23-point second-half takeover in the Elite Eight against top-seeded Virginia in Chicago this past March.

Age

Richardson turned 20 years old this past January. He spent just one season in Syracuse, which has helped his stock even more. The more years teams have to work with a prospect, the better off he’ll be.

Size

Even before you scout Malachi Richardson’s game, his size alone is enough to intrigue you. At this year’s NBA Draft Combine, Richardson measured out at 6’6.25″ (in shoes) with a seven-foot wingspan. He’s a sturdy 200 pounds and can take contact on drives to the basket. He has the body to play shooting guard or small forward.

Footwork

The thing that stood out to me watching Richardson was his feet on both ends of the floor. He has fluid footwork and utilizes step backs, ball fakes and jab steps to contribute to his quick release on his jumper.

If there’s space, Richardson seeks it, regardless if it’s a catch-and-shoot situation, isolation situation or finding a shot off a perimeter handoff.

I liked this drained triple from that takeover against Virginia to send Syracuse to the the Final Four. Richardson did a good job of using a jab step with his right foot to sell to the defender that he was driving, created separation, put the ball on the deck and splashed home the three.

DraftExpress’s “Strengths” video for Richardson really focused on Richardson’ footwork. It’s easily the best part of his game.

Defensively, he’s a not ball-stopper, but he has the size, lateral quickness and length to be a contributor on that end of the floor. My concerns for him defensively are his focus and how effective can be in the NBA game on that end coming from Jim Boeheim’s “2-3 Zone” defensive scheme with the Orange.

He’s not the best athlete in this class, so he’s got to be able to move his feet and use that wingspan to combat NBA wings.

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Richardson’s offensive numbers … aren’t great

• Hit 40 percent of his transition shot attempts, which ranks 325th out of 341 players who have had at least 90 possessions, according to DX and Synergy Sports Tech.

• Drained 35 percent (on 6.1 attempts per game) of his three-point attempts and 72 percent of his free throws (on 4.2 attempts per game) during his lone season at Syracuse. Those numbers aren’t terrible, but his “streakiness” is well-documented.

• Among DX’s top 100 prospects in this draft, Richardson has the second-worst true shooting percentage (51.6%) and the worst two-point shooting percentage (38.9%). The NBA has evolved with the three-point shot, but you still have to be able to hit from more spots on the floor as a wing.

• Richardson only dished out 2.7 assists per 40 minutes last season. He’s not a willing passer and can stop the ball from moving easily. The Bulls have had these kinds of issues with Jimmy Butler on the wing in the new Hoiball system.

This screen capture from DX’s “Weaknesses” video on Richardson came after Syracuse’s Trevor Cooney forced a great turnover and the Orange had a 4-on-4 transition opportunity with Cooney (a role-playing three-point shooter) trailing hard for an open look.

Virginia’s Malcolm Brogdon would have had a choice to make if Richardson moves the ball back to Cooney. If he closes out on Cooney, Cooney could dish to Michael Gbinije for the open shot.

Instead, Richardson hesitated, tried to drive baseline on Virginia’s Anthony Gill and stepped out of bounds.

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Despite good size, Richardson lacks athleticism and explosiveness

For a propsect with the size that Richardson possesses, he’s not the athlete you’d expect him to be. Richardson can find space, but he doesn’t always convert.

From DraftExpress:

"He just can’t always finish what he creates, converting a very poor 46% of his “inside the paint” field goal attempts in the half-court, which is partially due to his inability to play above the rim and as well as his very poor shot-selection. He often drives right into the teeth of the defense without a plan, forcing up tough looks regardless of having a defender on his hip, after being unable to turn the corner on his initial move."

Next: SummerBulls' schedule is released draft tidbits from K.C. Johnson

Thoughts?

I want to like Malachi Richardson, but not in a Bulls uniform.

I think the tools are there, but he’s not exactly what the Bulls are looking for, especially with Jimmy Butler still on the roster. I worry that Richardson’s game wouldn’t mesh with Butler’s on the wing. Butler does look to attack the lane more, which would open opportunities for Richardson to drain shots from the perimeter, but he hasn’t shown consistency with his jumper enough.

When he’s confident and on, he’s fearless and tough to stop.

(This triple extended Syracuse’s second-half run to 23-4 in their Elite Eight win with Virginia. The guy Richardson hits this shot over? 2015-16 ACC Player of the Year Malcolm Brogdon.)

The problem is for Richardson that he’s not “on” often enough for the Bulls to take the chance on him with the last lottery pick of the first round.

His feel for the game — especially offensively — isn’t quite there yet. I’d assume the Bulls want a rotation guy at No. 14 right off the bat and not a project that would be better off with some D-League repetitions for his confidence.