New Orleans Pelicans NBA Draft: A 5-star talent in the 2nd round

New Orleans Pelicans NBA Draft: Nick Richards is a second-round sleeper

Nick Richards’ Strengths

The most intriguing thing about Nick Richards is not his massive, athletic frame but the fact that he has only been playing basketball for a few years.

Richards is from Jamaica and really didn’t start playing organized basketball until he was in high school. Three years later he was a 5-star recruit headed to Kentucky.

Once he got to Kentucky, things got a little more difficult and it took Richards a couple of years to catch up, but once he did, he made 1st Team All-SEC in his junior season and declared for the draft.

Richards is 6-foot-11 but has a massive 7-foot-4 wingspan, so profiles as a guy who will block and disrupt shots in the paint. He averaged 2.1 blocks per game this season and just kept getting better as the season went on.

He had at least four blocks in eight different games this season, including games of seven blocks against Lamar and six blocks against LSU. He had double-digit rebounds in ten games for the Wildcats and ended up averaging 14 points and 7.8 rebounds overall.

Richards is a guy who can run the floor, block shots and be disruptive in the paint, much like another second-round draft pick Hassan Whiteside.

He shot nearly 65 percent from the floor, mostly because all he does is dunk, but he did shoot 75 percent from the line, which could eventually translate into a passable mid-range jumper.

Richards could be a rim running, shot-blocking force in the NBA,                                      especially when you consider that he is still learning the nuances of the game and will get better.

Richards has a lot of things the Pelicans need but also has some glaring flaws as a prospect.