Jase Richardson didn’t ease into Wednesday night. He came out firing, and the Magic’s second-year guard spent most of the evening setting the tone in Orlando’s 99-92 Summer League win over the 76ers at UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center.
Richardson finished with 25 points on 10-for-15 shooting, adding four assists and three steals as the Magic improved to 3-1 in Las Vegas. The scoring came in plenty of forms: three first-half 3-pointers, a driving dunk in the opening quarter, and a steady stream of crafty finishes at the rim.
What stood out just as much was how often Orlando put the ball in his hands when the game tightened up. Summer League coach D.J. Bakker said he wanted Richardson steering the offense.
“I told him, even in the late game, even when they caught up to us, I want the ball in his hands,” Bakker said about Richardson. “Get us organized. If we can run and we can score easy in transition, let’s do it.”
“If not, he knows his plays to get him going, but he also … has a great feel for his teammates and putting them in the best position they can be in,” Bakker added.
That’s a much bigger load than Richardson carried as a rookie. In his first NBA season, the Michigan State product averaged 4.4 points, 1.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 10.9 minutes per game over 54 appearances. He wasn’t asked to do much.
In Summer League, the assignment has been different. Richardson has been running the show, and through three games in Las Vegas he’s averaging 18.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.7 steals in 30.1 minutes per game. He’s shooting 54.1% from the field, 50% from 3-point range on 4.7 attempts a night, and he’s 5 for 5 at the line.
There have been a few rough edges. Richardson is averaging 2.3 turnovers, and three of them came in the fourth quarter Wednesday. Even so, he said he feels good about the way he’s handled the ball and created for others.
“Just being able to control the floor,” Richardson said. “I mean, end of the game I had a lot of uncharacteristic turnovers, so that’s on me.
Going forward, I’ve got to take care of the ball. But other than that, I feel like I’ve been setting guys up for good shots, getting to my own shots and then defending.”
Orlando’s next Summer League game will come either Saturday or Sunday, depending on Thursday’s other exhibition results, and it’s still unclear whether Richardson will play again. Either way, he’s already left an impression in Las Vegas.
ESPN analyst and 2016 NBA champion Iman Shumpert praised the way Richardson is moving with the ball and attacking the floor.
“He might be the only guy with the speed to blow by anybody at any given time,” Shumpert said on Wednesday’s game broadcast. “It’s just a matter of him staying balanced, staying controlled.
But I love his pace. I love that he’s getting downhill now and you can tell that he’s way more comfortable with that NBA 3-point line.”
Richardson also described the message he’s heard from new Magic coach Sean Sweeney in their early conversations.
“(A) guy that’s just a dawg that’s ready to work,” Richardson said about what Sweeney told him. “(A) guy that hounds guys defensively. (Someone who) can knock down the shot and make plays for others.”
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