Could the Philadelphia 76ers use Josh Richardson in a similar fashion that they used the player they traded to acquired him for?
It’s going to be hard to not compare Josh Richardson and Jimmy Butler this season. The Philadelphia 76ers sent Butler to the Miami Heat in exchange for Richardson, as a part of a sign-and-trade deal that involved four teams. Butler filled a lot of roles for the Sixers last season and Richardson will take on most of those responsibilities this upcoming season. Besides being the go to defender on the perimeter, it’s possible that Richardson could become the team’s backup point guard as well.
Butler filled the role as the primary playmaker for the 76ers second unit in the later portions of last season and in the playoffs. It’s not likely, but totally in the realm of possibility that head coach Brett Brown may end up using Butler’s replacement in a similar fashion.
Late last season, the only backup point guard option on the roster was T.J. McConnell and he proved to unplayable in high leverage situations. That forced Brown to lean on Butler to be the second unit’s playmaker and it worked out pretty well for Philly.
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This upcoming season the Sixers have improved point guard depth behind starter Ben Simmons. Trey Burke and Raul Neto are both capable backups in the right situation, then there’s the project point guard Shake Milton.
The new found depth this offseason is an upgrade from last year, but it’s far from a ideal. Each player have question marks around them and if the Sixers aren’t active at the trade deadline, then Brown could rely on Richardson for the backup duties behind Simmons. Despite barely playing point guard throughout his career, it’s not a completely impossible task for Richardson.
The most that Richardson has ever spent time at the point guard spot during a single season was 12.0 percent of his playing time during his rookie season. All other seasons he played either 1.0 percent or none at the position.
Despite not being the “point guard” on offense, his experience as the primary scoring option with the Heat last season helped improve his playmaking skills. He averaged a career high in assists at 4.1 per game and only averaged 1.5 turnovers last year.
That assist average was higher than what either Burke’s and Neto’s averaged last season. He’s also a much better defensive option than either player, so if both struggle offensively, then it will open the door for Richardson to get minutes at that role.
Hopefully, the Philadelphia 76ers won’t need Richardson to take on the playmaker role for the second unit. However, for short stretches, it’s not impossible for Richardson to be the backup point guard if necessary.