Richardson hits the ground running
With injuries behind him, swingman eager to build on career year
Heat guard Josh Richardson ‘hit it hard’ in workouts after recovering from a hip strain.
MIAMI — Miami Heat swingman Josh Richardson was devastated to miss seven of the final eight games of the season in a critical final stretch that cost the Heat a playoff spot — so much so that Richardson wouldn’t even watch the first round of the postseason.
“That sucked,” said Richardson from an end-of-the-school-year event at AmericanAirlines Arena on Thursday for Heat Academy, the Heat’s after school program for elementary school students. “It was hard having to sit over there and watch, but I love my teammates. They did a great job, but definitely going forward into next season, I’m going to be itching to play.”
Since recovering from the hip strain that sidelined him the last four games — it was a bruised left heel for the three that preceded it — Richardson was left motivated to “hit it hard” in workouts, he said, with sights set on taking another step after a career year in 2018-19.
“I didn’t want to start going full speed too early, so I was trying to make sure I was all good, and now it’s time to hit the ground running even more,” said Richardson, who averaged a careerhigh 16.6 points last season, which led the Heat.
Richardson was mum on what aspects of his game he has focused on or who he has worked out with in his offseason.
Since the initial hiatus away from watching basketball, Richardson said he has picked back up on the playoff action. Seeing moments like Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard’s deep buzzer-beating 3-pointer to eliminate the Oklahoma City Thunder and Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard sinking the Philadelphia 76ers on a Game 7 shot from the corner that bounced on the rim four times before going in has fed into his urgency to return stronger next year.
“I want to live in those moments too,” said Richardson, the Heat’ second-round pick in the 2015 draft out of Tennessee. “I think we have a team going forward that can do that, but we all got to get better this offseason. That’s the first step.”
Richardson, who turns 26 on Sept. 15, took on the greatest offensive responsibility he has in his career last season, averaging 14.1 fieldgoal attempts per game, up from 10.9 in 2017-18. Greater usage also meant his efficiency dipped, shooting .412 from the floor after a .451 clip the previous year and going from .378 to .357 on 3-pointers. He averaged a career-high 3.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists.
Bam with Bosh: While Richardson wouldn’t reveal any workout partners for the summer on Thursday, the Heat posted a video on social media on Wednesday of center Bam Adebayo working with Chris Bosh, who had his No. 1 Heat jersey retired and sent to the AmericanAirlines Arena rafters in March.
“He’s a real intelligent dude,” said Adebayo, who was also at the Heat Academy event on Thursday. “Just picking his brain and working out with him, you start to see things from his point of view. He’s been in the game but he’s also been on the sideline now for us. Just talking to him, you can tell he was really special.”
Adebayo wouldn’t reveal what specifics he has been able to learn from Bosh, but the video shows him shooting turnaround jumpers from a post-up position and also facing up to the basket for another jump shot. Bosh can be heard saying, “That was nice!” as his shots go in.
Bosh is a big man who had the mid-range and long-two-point jumper since his Toronto Raptor days, but joined the Heat in the summer of 2010 and extended that range to the 3-point line. Coincidentally, a jump shot is something the athletic 6-foot-10 Adebayo could add to his blooming game.
Adebayo played in all 82 games in his sophomore season last year out of Kentucky and started 28, mostly late in the season. His averages from his rookie season increased from: 6.9 points per game to 8.9, 5.5 rebounds to 7.3, 1.5 assists to 2.2, 0.5 steals to 0.9 and 0.6 blocks to 0.8. He shot .576 in his second season — up from .512 as a rookie — but only shot 3 of 15 on 3-pointers.