https://www.theringer.com/nba/2020/11/25...orst-moves
[b]Jonathan Tjarks:[/b][b] [/b]The Mavs. They pulled off the rare double feat of significantly improving their team next season (by adding Josh Richardson and James Johnson) while also clearing out cap space for next offseason to chase Giannis Antetokounmpo. Don’t sleep on Richardson. He struggled in Philadelphia but could be the perfect piece next to Luka Doncic.
[b]Mann: [/b]I love Dallas sending Seth Curry to Philly for Josh Richardson. Richardson gives Luka some defensive support with size on the perimeter (and shooting), while Curry is a fantastic fit on paper with what the Sixers appear to be aiming at. (I also think both teams dominated the draft.) Memphis snagged multiple usable pieces for its future by drafting Desmond Bane, Xavier Tillman, and Robert Woodard. And if you look at what Atlanta offloaded and who they’re bringing in, its net gain could be among the highest in the league next season.
[b]O‘Connor:[/b] The Mavericks acquiring Josh Richardson went overlooked because it happened the same day Klay Thompson got hurt [i]and [/i]it happened in the middle of the second round of the draft. But Richardson adds a ton to the Mavericks with his ability to defend both guards and wings while also providing secondary shot creation. Richardson had a lost season with the Sixers, but that was a dysfunctional offense in which no one really fit. The last time we saw him on a coherent team was in 2018-19 with the Heat, when he looked like a promising young two-way player.
https://theathletic.com/2220821/2020/11/...a-win-win/
I also think it was a tough year for Richardson for a couple of other reasons. The first, which was a big one, is that he was just in and out of the lineup seemingly all year long. From a right hamstring injury to a left hamstring injury to a concussion, Richardson’s status shifted a lot, and he never seemed to quite get back in the same rhythm he had at the start of the year. I’m also not sure Brett Brown’s pick-and-roll scheme did him many favors defensively, at least not individually, as they were so aggressive in funneling ball handlers to Embiid that Richardson wasn’t asked to fight through many screens, with the Sixers willing to let Embiid challenge scorers at the rim or, ideally, coerce them into midrange shots.
The shooting struggles are a tough one to fully explain. On the one hand, his midrange numbers were the best of his career, which is where you would expect some of the spacing problems the Sixers had to really come into play. From 3-point range, however, he took a big step back over the key progress he had made in previous years, especially off the catch. If I had to guess, I’d say it was a lot of variance, and even more than a change in scenery, just flipping over to a new (basketball) year might do him well. The concerning part with his season, and his fit with the 76ers specifically, is how that seemed to impact his confidence in the shot. There were just too many record-scratch moments where they’d generate an open corner 3 and Richardson would hesitate, pump fake and take two or three dribbles that got him nowhere before settling for a frustrating midrange shot.
[b]Jonathan Tjarks:[/b][b] [/b]The Mavs. They pulled off the rare double feat of significantly improving their team next season (by adding Josh Richardson and James Johnson) while also clearing out cap space for next offseason to chase Giannis Antetokounmpo. Don’t sleep on Richardson. He struggled in Philadelphia but could be the perfect piece next to Luka Doncic.
[b]Mann: [/b]I love Dallas sending Seth Curry to Philly for Josh Richardson. Richardson gives Luka some defensive support with size on the perimeter (and shooting), while Curry is a fantastic fit on paper with what the Sixers appear to be aiming at. (I also think both teams dominated the draft.) Memphis snagged multiple usable pieces for its future by drafting Desmond Bane, Xavier Tillman, and Robert Woodard. And if you look at what Atlanta offloaded and who they’re bringing in, its net gain could be among the highest in the league next season.
[b]O‘Connor:[/b] The Mavericks acquiring Josh Richardson went overlooked because it happened the same day Klay Thompson got hurt [i]and [/i]it happened in the middle of the second round of the draft. But Richardson adds a ton to the Mavericks with his ability to defend both guards and wings while also providing secondary shot creation. Richardson had a lost season with the Sixers, but that was a dysfunctional offense in which no one really fit. The last time we saw him on a coherent team was in 2018-19 with the Heat, when he looked like a promising young two-way player.
https://theathletic.com/2220821/2020/11/...a-win-win/
I also think it was a tough year for Richardson for a couple of other reasons. The first, which was a big one, is that he was just in and out of the lineup seemingly all year long. From a right hamstring injury to a left hamstring injury to a concussion, Richardson’s status shifted a lot, and he never seemed to quite get back in the same rhythm he had at the start of the year. I’m also not sure Brett Brown’s pick-and-roll scheme did him many favors defensively, at least not individually, as they were so aggressive in funneling ball handlers to Embiid that Richardson wasn’t asked to fight through many screens, with the Sixers willing to let Embiid challenge scorers at the rim or, ideally, coerce them into midrange shots.
The shooting struggles are a tough one to fully explain. On the one hand, his midrange numbers were the best of his career, which is where you would expect some of the spacing problems the Sixers had to really come into play. From 3-point range, however, he took a big step back over the key progress he had made in previous years, especially off the catch. If I had to guess, I’d say it was a lot of variance, and even more than a change in scenery, just flipping over to a new (basketball) year might do him well. The concerning part with his season, and his fit with the 76ers specifically, is how that seemed to impact his confidence in the shot. There were just too many record-scratch moments where they’d generate an open corner 3 and Richardson would hesitate, pump fake and take two or three dribbles that got him nowhere before settling for a frustrating midrange shot.