Jase Richardson - NBA Mock Draft Roundup 1.0

Richardson would be a fun fit with the Heat. Richardson saw his stock rise throughout the 2024-25 college basketball season. He started in a reserve role at Michigan State and blossomed into the best player on Tom Izzo's squad. Richardson is a great mid-range shooter and was fantastic at finishing around the rim during his lone season in East Lansing.

Richardson, the son of former 14-year veteran Jason Richardson, showed last season that he can play at either guard spot and contribute well. He flourished after moving into the starting lineup in February, averaging 16.1 points and 4.6 rebounds on 42% shooting from 3-point range over his last 15 games. The Magic currently have two first-round picks and should be a team to watch that could package one or both selections to bring in additional help. If they keep this pick, Richardson projects to fit in well.

Richardson is a good bet from a talent perspective. Over his final 15 games, he averaged 16.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists versus only 0.7 turnovers. The reason those games are important is that's the moment when Richardson entered the starting lineup after a terrific first half of the season. Richardson has great touch as a shooter and scorer but is still developing his lead guard skills. He's not all that great of a passer, but more than that, he's not all that great with his right hand at this stage. Most of Michigan State's actions got the ball into his left hand and put him in advantageous actions. Teams will want to put him through several different situations during his meetings and workouts to learn more about how he can grow and develop over the next few years.

Pro Comparison: Reed Sheppard

Scouts admired Jase Richardson's scoring efficiency and decision-making. He managed to produce consistently on low usage, making open threes, picking the right spots to attack and finishing plays with advanced adjustments and instincts at the rim.

But it also became clear that he offers more creativity than the numbers suggest. Richardson was one of the nation's most efficient ball-screen scorers whose self-creation shined more and more as his role increased.

Scouting report: Richardson broke through as a surprise one-and-done at Michigan State, earning a major role and impressing with his poise and versatility in the backcourt. There has been some dissonance for evaluators between his strong analytic profile and the eye test, with terrific all-around productivity but average physical tools and some questions as to whether he can handle full-time point guard duties in the long run.

Richardson has plenty of fans among the league's executives, but his range might be a little wider than that of some of the other players projected in this part of the draft. -- Woo

NBA intel and fit: The Hawks made encouraging strides this season, with the additions of Dyson Daniels and Zaccharie Risacher injecting youth and depth into their starting five. Atlanta changed leadership in the offseason and is still searching for a president of basketball operations, but it should be looking to cultivate depth through the draft much the same.

Richardson's feel and versatility at either guard spot would give the Hawks a useful connective option to mix in alongside their young roster. -- Woo

Richardson finished second in freshman BPM behind Flagg despite not earning a starting role at Michigan State until Feb. The guard left a massive imprint on winning with his knockdown shooting anchoring his efficient halfcourt scoring. Only Knueppel finished with a better true shooting percentage than Richardson's 62.4 percent mark among perimeter players in this draft class. NBA evaluators will be concerned about his size (he's listed at 6'3 and that seems generous) and his lack of a heavy on-ball reps after a below-average 19.4 percentage usage rate. Still, Richardson is talented finisher despite his stature and just knows how to find soft spots in the opposing defense to get off his jumper. Small guards always have a tough road ahead in this era of this league, but Richardson is good enough to make it work.

If you're just now parachuting in on the draft: Yes, Jason Richardson has a son, and no, they are not similar players. Jase wasn't the focal point of his Michigan State team, but he gradually made himself indispensable this past season because of how dependable his 3-point shot was off the catch, how willing and able he was to keep the ball moving if he attacked a closeout, and how well he held up in the team's overall defensive scheme. Measuring at just over 6 feet at the combine has deflated his case some, but playing next to a bigger guard like Josh Giddey could help cover for that. If he's contributing to the team's success like I think he can, that's a win for the Bulls.

Underwhelming measurements at the NBA Combine — he measured just over 6-foot barefoot — is likely to hurt Richardson's stock and stunt it from a top-10 ceiling I once thought possible. He's still a first-round talent, though, and he plays bigger than his measureables suggest, which make the height all the more surprising.

Richardson is a skilled combo guard with a lethal midrange game and a poised pick-and-roll feel, looking like he downloaded the experience of his NBA veteran father, Jason Richardson. Pairing Richardson with Josh Giddey could make for a lethal two-man combination since Richardson is so potent moving without the ball. Jase didn't inherit his father's height or dunk contest athleticism though, so his smaller stature could cap his upside. But the Bulls have a ton of length and versatility that could mitigate that concern on defense, and enough shot creation on offense to let Richardson thrive off ball while picking his spots as a creator.