From a reluctant to an eager leading man
Richardson steps up in helping Heat snap 3-game losing streak
MIAMI — Josh Richardson undeniably has become a thing.
Except to Richardson, himself, who instead of seeing his 2018-19 as bordering on phenomenon, views it merely as continuing contribute to the Miami Heat needed.
“It’s not really a defined go-to guy on our team,” he said, stressing that, in his view, it is a list that still starts with Goran Dragic and Dwyane Wade. “I mean anybody can hurt you late on our team. Gogi’s had big games. D-Wade has had numerous. So we just have multiple guys that can hurt you.”
Yet it is Richardson who has to as scored 27 or more in three of the past four games, Richardson who scored nine of the Heat’s 15 overtime points in the Monday night victory over the Detroit Pistons that snapped a three-game losing streak.
“This is the first time he’s been called on to do this,” Wade said, after teammates made Richardson the focus of the postgame locker room at Little Caesars Arena. “It’s something we all celebrated here and wanted him to do it.
“It’s still impressive. The shots he was taking in overtime and making, those are big-time shots. Not a lot of players can do it that way. We want him to continue to have the confidence to take it to the next level.”
What the Heat are developing, though, is a somewhat reluctant star. In his first four seasons, Rich-
ardson played as piece.
Now, with Dion Waiters and James Johnson yet to make their season debuts, with Wade playing as a sixth man, and with Dragic having dealt with a foot issue since training camp, it has practically been Richardson by default as leading man.
“It may require guarding the best wings every single night as hard as you can, carrying a bigger offensive load and doing that for big minutes, the most minutes of anyone on the team,” coach Erik Spoelstra said, before turning his attention to the four-game homestand that opens Wednesday at AmericanAirlines Arena against the San Antonio Spurs.
“Welcome to this league and more responsibility. He’s capable of it. I loved the way he stepped up. He got stronger as the game went on and there was more context and pressure to it, and that’s the type of potential he has.”
The shift to
acomplementary offensive focus has been subtle. The Heat still preach an equalopportunity offense. Dragic still produces his scoring bursts. Teammates still look to Wade for late leadership.
But it was in the Heat’s developmental laboratory where the shift started, one that now undeniably has Richardson near or at the top of opposition scouting reports.
“This has been a natural progression for him,” Spoelstra said. “It’s been another great summer of development. He really worked on his body, but also his skill development, to be able to do more things.
“We want him to continue to be aggressive and assertive. It’s very important for our team, the success of the team offensively. Guys need to play to their strengths, and J-Rich has a lot of ability for us to try to maximize it.”
All Spoelstra asks in return is what he got out of Richardson’s 38 minutes Monday.
“He was exerting a great deal of energy,” he said. “He actually asked to come out of the game in the first half, which he normally doesn’t. That’s what it might require.”
With the Heat having blown a 12-point fourthquarter lead, Richardson recognized the need to reach deeper.
“I don’t know. It was just being aggressive,” he said of his finish. “I think I had a little lull in the fourth. But I was just trying to get back and help us win. I was taking my shots.”
At that stage, after the Heat endured a miserable 18-point fourth quarter, the Heat decided their best shot was Richardson as leading man.
“If the ball happens to find me late, if guys give me the ball, yeah,” he said, “I’ll definitely take that on.”
Quentin Grimes scored 21 points in his college debut, and Dedric Lawson added 20 points and 14 rebounds to lead No. 1 Kansas past No. 10 Michigan State 92-87 in the season-opening Champions Classic on Tuesday in Indianapolis.
The Jayhawks won their third straight in one of college basketball’s premier events.
Michigan State was led by Joshua Langford with 18 points and Kenny Goins with 17 points and 11 rebounds. The Spartans are now 4-21 all-time against No. 1 teams.
After Kansas was in control for most of the game, the Spartans frantically trimmed a 10-point deficit to 90-87 with 34 seconds left. They had a chance to make it a twopoint game when Devon Dotson missed the second of two free throws with 15 seconds left.
But Cassius Winston missed a layup for Michigan State, Kansas grabbed the rebound and Grimes sealed it by making 1 of 2 free throws. Virginia rolls: Ty Jerome scored 20 points and De’Andre Hunter had 13 and 10 rebounds as No. 5 Virginia beat Towson 7342 in Charlottesville, Va.
Jerome made six 3pointers for the Cavaliers (1-0), who were playing for the first time since they made history by becoming the first No. 1 seed to lose to a 16th seed in the NCAA tournament.
Tar Heels get revenge: Luke Maye had 24 points, Cameron Johnson provided a huge spark in the second half and No. 8 North Carolina reversed an upset loss to Wofford last year with a 78-67 victory in Spartanburg, S.C.
Johnson made five 3pointers and had 17 points along with eight rebounds. Garrison Brooks added 20 points as the Tar Heels improved to 15-1 in season openers under coach Roy Williams.
Maye, the ACC preseason player of the year, finished 7 of 13 from the field and 8 of 9 from the foul line.
AP