'No pressure': Nick Richards ready to have impact with Phoenix Suns

‘No pressure’: Nick Richards ready to have impact with Phoenix Suns

Posted by Admin January 18, 2025 NBA

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DETROIT – This is more than a change of scenery for new Phoenix Suns big Nick Richards.

In being traded, Richards leaves a Charlotte franchise that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2016 and joins one that’s looking to compete for championship.

Richards believes he can help them win one.

The Suns traded Josh Okogie and three future second-round picks Wednesday for Richards and a second-round selection. Wearing No. 2, Richards joined the Suns (20-20) Friday in Detroit and was ready to make his debut Saturday against the Pistons (21-20) at Little Caesars Arena.

“Just excitement, no pressure,” Richards said before Saturday’s game. “I don’t feel any pressure at all. I know what I can do. I’m confident in myself. I’m not going to do anything outside myself.”

Okogie wore the same number for the Suns.

“I really appreciated how Josh approached the game and his love for his teammates,” Suns superstar Kevin Durant said. “I wish him the best. I’m sure we’ll cross paths again. He’s a great teammate, but I’m looking forward to having Nick on the team.”

The Suns put Richards through a crash course learning their team concepts Friday in preparation for Saturday’s game.

“He was able to go to the gym with several of the assistant coaches, our video guys and start to learn everything defensively, offensively,” Suns coach Mike Budenholzer said before Saturday’s game. “(Friday) was a good afternoon for him.”

Charlotte averaged 31 wins in Richards’ first four seasons there. Winners of just 10 games so far this season, the Hornets are in full rebuilding mode with a franchise talent in LaMelo Ball and new head coach Charles Lee.

They appear years away from being a playoff contender, let alone a championship one. The Suns are in win-now mode under team owner Mat Ishbia.

They have the NBA’s highest payroll, are the first $400-million NBA team ever and led by a Big 3 of Devin Booker, Bradley Beal and Durant. Phoenix was in the finals in 2021. The Suns are looking to return there and see Richards being a key piece in that push for the city’s first-ever NBA championship.

“I’m excited,” Richards said. “At the end of the day, it’s basketball. The guys that are here, they’re a little bit older, a little bit more experience under their belt. It’s going to be a good place to learn from these guys. At the end of the day, it’s just basketball. You’ve just got to play.”

Richards is averaging 8.9 points on 56.1% shooting, 7.5 rebounds and a career-high 1.2 blocks in his fifth season out of Kentucky.

A second-round pick in the 2020 draft, Richards has attempted just four 3s out of 902 field goal attempts in his 221 NBA career games.

The Kingston, Jamaica native comfortably resides in the paint with physical intentions.

“Just being myself,” Richards said. “Rebounding. Defending the paint. Running in transition. Being able to get guys open on screens. Just those things. Just being myself.”

The Suns are 22^nd in defensive rating, 25^th in rebounding and 28^th in offensive rebounding. They hope Richards can help them drastically improve in those areas.

“That height, big body,” Suns wing Royce O’Neale said. “I feel like he’s a great rebounder, rim protector, finish around the rim. That’s what we need, especially on the rebounding end. It’s a bigger body for us.”

Richards averaged 11.3 points on 61.7% shooting, 10.2 rebounds, 1.7 blocks and 27.2 minutes in nine starts with the Hornets. He’s only started 74 of his 221 NBA career games, but Richards has shown he can produce in a starting role.

“Nick is another guy I think has really thrived with more minutes, with more opportunities,” Hornets coach Charles Lee said before Charlotte played Jan. 12 at Phoenix.

“It’s been unfortunate that we’ve had some guys go down this year, but with that, other guys get to step up and get increased roles, increased minutes and for him early on in the year, he got to start and was playing a ton of minutes and finishing games for us. I just think all of those reps have helped him.”

With Lee having been an assistant under Budenholzer in Milwaukee, there is a layer of terminology carryover for Richards in this new situation.

“For sure,” Richards said. “That’s what’s making the transition a little bit easier. All the terminology, all the actions, all the defensive schemes, I think Coach Charles has learned from Bud. I think it’s going to make the process a little more easier.”

The Suns were playing three big men in Jusuf Nurkic, Mason Plumlee and rookie Oso Ighodaro. Now they have a new one in Richards who brings something different to the position for Phoenix.

“Just a little more size,” Budenholzer said. “He’s a legit 7-footer. You feel his size in every way. You feel that at the rim. Defensively, blocking shots. Defensive rebounding. Offensively, maybe a little bit more of a lob threat. Screen setter with size. He’s just a little bit bitter. We’re excited about the differences between our centers. They’re all a little unique.”

Nurkic started his first 23 games of his second season with the Suns before Budenholzer replaced him in a new reshaped starting lineup with Plumlee.

Bradley Beal and Nurkic were first benched in favor of Ryan Dunn and Plumlee in the starting lineup for the Jan. 6 game at Philadelphia. Plumlee has started seven straight games while Nurkic hasn’t played since Jan. 7 when the Hornets upset the Suns in Charlotte.

Richards posted 15 points and 12 boards with five coming on the offensive glass as Charlotte finished with 20 offensive rebounds that led to 19 points against Phoenix.

Nurkic hasn’t played since. He collected DNPs due to Budenholzer’s decision Jan. 9 against Atlanta and Jan. 11 versus Utah. He then was ruled out Jan. 12 against Charlotte with an illness and has yet to join the team on this five-game road trip that’s reached its halfway point Saturday at Detroit.

Sources informed The Arizona Republic the Suns have been shopping Nurkic, but NBA teams aren’t looking to take on his contract. Nurkic is in the third year of a four-year, $70-million deal as he’s due $18.1 million this year.

Nurkic is averaging 8.6 points on 45.4% shooting and 9.2 rebounds in his second season with the Suns, who acquired him from Portland via a three-team deal before the 2023-24 season that sent Deandre Ayton to the Trail Blazers.

The Suns now have four bigs, but that could very well change by the Feb. 6 trade deadline. Richards is in the second of a three-year, $15-million deal in which the final year is non-guaranteed.

Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.

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