How much better will Richards be next year?
- Thread starter bigblue7609_rivals211215
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He hasn't been playing basketball for very long so I believe he can really improve.He needs to work on putting some muscle on so he can bully his way inside.Nice touch on free throws.
Center position is about good hands and good feet. He has very poor hands and decent feet. The one thing that blows my mind about him is his free throw touch. For as bad as his hands are he has an incredible soft touch shooting the ball. I can't figure him out. Earlier poster is right about his limited basketball experience. He has very little. I just didn't see him improve during the year very much so that concerns me. I want him to succeed big time. He has good athleticism, length, and quickness for his size. Hopeful!
It will be night/day. Plays himself to top10 draft status. It's mental for him. Once he gets his hand strength there and his second jump he will be a beast
Agree, he is super raw. I think he played soccer before BB LOL. If he hangs in there and doesn't listen to the noise I think he could be great. I could see him taking the biggest step next year. Of course it would be bigger because most the other guys played well. But I think he can be dominate in the post if he wants to be.
I can't remember a player improving their hands much. It's one of those things where you either have good ones or you don't. But it really is odd how well he shoots free throws.
If SKJ again improves as much as he did from his frosh year Richards won’t need to improve that much.
If you have read the Charles Matthews article about leaving UK, you know that controlling the ball and passing will be key to Nick's improvement in catching and passing the ball. The message is, "make sure you have a grip on the ball before you pass it." Surely Cal can teach this. If a guy who is as big and strong as Nick can't learn this, infinite pine.
Hard work and putting in the effort this summer will define what kind of season Richards has in 2018-19.Fans envision Demarcus Cousins but reality is that it could be Shagari Alleyne
Does he seem like the kind of guy who would bust his butt everyday during the off-season? If Knox returns, I believe he has the work ethic to hone his strengths and eliminate his weaknesses. Not sure Richards has that drive. Hope he does
The good thing is that he can’t be any worse than he was this year.
Richards I read was a Skateboarder, a pretty good one at that. Can't imagine his 6'11 body popping Ollie's, shove it and such. He has balance now he needs to learn to hunch down and he immovable on the block! I believe he will I'm press us all! One full summer dedicated to his craft and we are talking top 5 draft status.
Imagine this time next yr. Heading into the Final Four Weekend in Minneapolis...
We will win and have
Richards, Knox, Hami, Vanderbilt, PJ (maybe) KJ, Gabriel with his degree and Haggans drafted in first round!!
Quade, IQ, Baker, Herro, SKJ, return adding
Jeffries, Wiseman, Antoine, Lewis and Hurt. This team ends up leading the nation in fg% 3pt m, ppg, and yet another Championship. Brad plays a solid 10 min and championship game hits a key 3 plus a foul for 4 pt play to seal a hard fought game against Vanderbilt
Imagine this time next yr. Heading into the Final Four Weekend in Minneapolis...
We will win and have
Richards, Knox, Hami, Vanderbilt, PJ (maybe) KJ, Gabriel with his degree and Haggans drafted in first round!!
Quade, IQ, Baker, Herro, SKJ, return adding
Jeffries, Wiseman, Antoine, Lewis and Hurt. This team ends up leading the nation in fg% 3pt m, ppg, and yet another Championship. Brad plays a solid 10 min and championship game hits a key 3 plus a foul for 4 pt play to seal a hard fought game against Vanderbilt
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The only good thing about freshmen is that the become sophomores. He will get better if he puts in the time and practice between now and the start of next year. He has to want it
He is a full second behind in reaction time - has atrocious hands - will not helps us - find 6'9" basketball player who can stretch floor
I believe he will be better. It has been said the greatest improvement comes between your freshman and sophomore years. That has not always been true. I don't think he is beast mode next year but i think he contributes a lot more
Isn't this the year they can take an August trip to play 5,6 games against foreign competition, if so that would help the improvement process !
Not only for Richards but all of them. I am excited for next season! Can the incoming freshmen go?
I'm not sure what his potential is.
One thing is for sure, if he doesn't improve his hands, he's not going to be a positive factor.
I guess it depends on how much he is willing to put in to make himself a better player.
Yes, because in 2010 up in Windsor Ontario, Brandon Knight played very well as a freshman, same with KA Townes down in the Bahamas' in 2014.
We will just have to wait and see. He hasn't improved a bit from his time here and anything he gives us next year will be a plus.
I think this sums it up. Do you hear about Richards being the first guy in the gym and last to leave? Do you hear about him breaking down film, hitting the weight room, entering into a training program this summer working out with NBA big men?
His ceiling is up to him, does he rely on his god given talent to carry him next season or does he decide he has to improve beyond just doing what got him here?
He will be much better. Richards played really well early in the season and like others have said, it became mental to him. Great touch at the line, very athletic. With the athletic guards that are coming in that can get to the rim, the court will be more spread and this is were Richards will succeed. He isn’t great in the post when defenses were packing it in. I expect a lot more lobs and put backs next year from Richards. I believe he will be good!
I wish there was a way he could join the football team just for workouts and working on his mental toughness. If he just works on his hand-eye coordination he would be a different player
Not trying to compare Nick to AD at all, but if nick can just concentrate on defense and rebounding he can be a huge asset for us. AD got a ton of point production from put backs and lobs. Two things nick can be great at.
I think he can be a lot better, I'm not sure why he didn't progress more this year with constant work and coaching every day. If he can get a lot better in just one phase of the rebounding, scoring or playing good defense and blocking shots, the rest will come.
Here's hoping he follows in Nazr's footsteps and take a big leap forward next year.
So coaches, if you're reading this, get out those Nazr tapes and give them to Nick.
I think it could be a huge leap forward. Big men seem to have always developed a little slower in many cases. He just never got comfortable and it never clicked. Being nervous and unsure probably led to a lot of those fumbles and awkward catches. I saw him play against a UNC team in the Bahamas when he was 15 and he had confidence and skills beyond anything we saw this year.
No I’m not a UNC fan. My friend is a trustee and we happened to be there on vacation so he invited me.
No I’m not a UNC fan. My friend is a trustee and we happened to be there on vacation so he invited me.
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I’m hoping and have my fingers crossed. As many have noted he hasn’t been playing the game long. And he’s well coached.
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