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Miami Heats’ Josh Richardson Was the Steal of the 2015 NBA Draft

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Josh Richardson Miami Heat

Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

For the Miami Heat, the talk of the 2015 NBA Draft was how they managed to get a player as talented as former Duke Blue Devil’s SF Justise Winslow with the No. 10 overall pick. Expected to be a top seven pick, Winslow’s surprising drop to No. 10 means Miami may have ended up with the steal of the 2015 NBA Draft.

However, the real steal of the entire draft was not Miami’s No. 10 first-round selection, but their No. 40 second-round pick.

With the No. 40 overall selection in the 2015 NBA Draft, the Heat selected Tennessee Volunteers’ SG Josh Richardson. Richardson was expected to go a little later in the draft, but it has been reported that Miami had him listed as a first-round talent and that the Heat had been keeping an eye on the talented product out of Edmond, OK. since his sophomore season.

Although Heat fans who do not follow the SEC closely may be scratching their heads at this selection, anyone who has consistently followed the SEC over the last few seasons will tell you that Richardson is the real deal.

Don’t believe me? The numbers speak for themselves.

In his senior season, Richardson averaged 16 points per game with 4.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.1 steals. Instead of being a defense-first SG as he did through his junior and sophomore seasons, he alternated between the one and the two position due to the team’s lack of talent and was forced to score more frequently.

His junior season was far more impressive when it comes to NBA standards. Not only did he average decent stats across the board on a team with Jarnell Stokes, Jeronne Maymon and Jordan McRae, but he held two current NBA Players, Los Angeles Lakers SG Jabari Brown and Orlando Magic SG Roy Devyn Marble, to 4-25 from the field for just nine points when their average PPG was 37.2.

Richardson completely shut down two of the best scorers in the country, and that is not even mentioning what he did to high-octane SEC scorers like Chris Denson, Kenny Gaines, etc., which led to his inclusion of the All-Defensive First Team.

Through both seasons, Richardson had a shooting percentage over 46 percent, a three point percentage over 34 percent and a free throw percentage over 79 percent. His consistency is what makes him one of the steals of the draft, because he never seems to have what could be described as a bad game.

Richardson is a humble, talented athlete who will come into this squad and compete for floor time as a rookie. His defensive capabilities are what many will focus on, but with a team that should boast players like Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade to go along with rising stars like Goran Dragic and Hassan Whiteside, Richardson is more than comfortable playing a complimentary role until it’s time for him to step into a bigger role.

Expect a long NBA career for the former Vols’ star and a bright immediate future with the Heat. Erik Spoelstra and co. got a huge steal, and you should expect to see him play key minutes as a rookie.

Taylor Sturm is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @TSturmRS, like him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

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