Why Steve Kerr, Golden State are excited about Will Richard

SAN FRANCISCO – The fastest way to Steve KerrThe rotation is to play smart, play hard and play good defense. that’s it Golden State Warriors Second-round pick Will Richard did just that so far in the preseason, as the Florida shooting guard gets closer and closer to real regular-season playing time.

After Golden State’s practice Thursday afternoon, Kerr talked about what he likes from Richard to now.

“He’s got great feel, he’s a really good cutter, and the game flows when he’s out there. He makes the right reads and rotations on the defensive end. 6-foot-10 wingspan, you know? He’s got a lot of balls, but it’s a read,” Kerr said.

At the start of the preseason, Richard flashed a three with Jimmy Butler, Moses Moody and Draymond Green not in a suit. In 29 minutes, he collected 13 points and six rebounds, 4-of-7 from the field and was plus-10. Richard showed a maturity in his game that is rare for a rookie. In Kerr’s eyes, much of that comes down to his extensive college experience.

“The last couple of years, we’ve seen it with Quintin (Post) and with Will, you get these guys who went to college for four years. They’ve just had so many more reps. Almost like Brock Purdy or something,” Kerr said.

Richard, similar to the 49ers quarterback who was taken last in the NFL draft despite starting 46 games over four years at Iowa State, spent four years earning representation, eventually leading the Gators to a national championship.

“It’s important because you’re just seeing these images over and over again. Quentin and Will came in with a different level of awareness and understanding and the ability to absorb what they’ve learned immediately because they’ve seen things so often.”

Can Richard earn regular season playing time?

Richard’s teammates also pointed out that he asks a lot of questions. They described him as a sponge, looking for any way to absorb the knowledge and experience of his vets. Last week, Warriors star Stephen Curry shared his early impressions of Richard.

“He’s playing hard right now, and that’s a skill,” Curry said.

“He just moves. He just plays hard, competes. You see his defensive ability; his ceiling is pretty high as a two-way player. I know his offense at this point is going to come with time, being able to be a knockdown shooter with open shots and being able to finish possessions. But I just love the way he approaches the game with his caring competitiveness. It’s his energy competitiveness. You can tell that. a long way you are.”

Where that takes Richard in his rookie season remains to be seen. While he has shown that he can contribute good minutes to this Warriors team, plenty of guards stand in front of him for playing time. Kerr acknowledged that Richard will need some injuries to get minutes, citing Moody’s calf injury as the reason Richard started the last game, but also expressed confidence in Richard when he finally gets that opportunity.

“This is something the league is about. You know, (assistant coach) Ron Adams says it all the time. It’s a show league. Show me you can play. That means as soon as you get your chance, you (had) better show me. And Will 100% showed me and showed Ron and showed our whole staff that he can play.”