VITALS: 6-9, 255, Florida OVERVIEW: Played a key reserve role in both of Florida's national championships. Finished career with a field goal percentage of 66.5. Averaged 6.2 points and 3.7 rebounds in 18.4 minutes during his senior season. Shot 69 percent from the field. Scored 16 points on 7-of-7 shooting against UCLA in the national semifinals. Recorded a career-high 17 points and grabbed six rebounds against Jackson State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Averaged 5.9 points and 3.6 rebounds in 17.5 minutes as a junior, shooting 69.8 percent from the field. Grabbed a career-high nine rebounds against Florida A&M. LIKELY DRAFT POSITION: Second-round pick. COMPARATIVE UPSIDE: Brian Skinner COMPARATIVE DOWNSIDE: Mario Austin ROLE PROJECTION: Backup power forward. POSITIVES: Richard is an extremely strong, physical player who is fearless around the basket. He will defend centers or power forwards on the block and not give an inch. He is an aggressive rebounder who tries to pursue the ball outside of just the area he is occupying. He showed at the NBA Pre-Draft Camp that he has strong hands and is capable of catching the entry pass on the block. He has an effective jump hook and also the strength to power up layups. He will try to dunk if he gets the chance. SHORTCOMINGS: Richard played behind such high-quality big men at Florida, he did not get a lot of chances to get in the flow of the game and expand his confidence and his understanding of the game. He didn't have the opportunity to see if he could become more of an offensive force. Richard may find himself guarding players away from the basket in the NBA, something he never did at Florida.
Best case scenario for Richard as of now, IMO is 4th big off the bench for 10-12 minutes a game. He will likely have to go over to Europe and hopefully he can follow the same path that Udonis Haslem did to get into the NBA. If he can develop a mid range jump shot then he will improve his chances of making his way onto an NBA roster.
