When his father, Jason Richardson, spent a portion of two seasons with the Magic from 2010 to 2012, Jase Richardson was about 6 or 7 years old.
The younger Richardson recalls hearing a cash machine sound when his father would sink shots from beyond the arc while he was playing inside the Amway Center.
“Every time he hit a three, I really enjoyed listening to that,” Jase Richardson remarked. He had a great time here and was on a solid squad.
When Orlando selected Richardson out of Michigan State with the No. 25 pick in the first round of the NBA draft late Wednesday night, those memories were brought back to life.
When his name was called, Richardson did not cross the stage at Barclays Center to shake hands with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, unlike other first-round selections.
Instead, he had the chance to have the full-circle occasion with his father while in South Florida with his closest friends and family.
“It was really unique,” Richardson remarked. My dad has never become that emotional in my life. It was really great to spend that time with him and become a member of the NBA brotherhood he formerly belonged to.
Richardson was not selected by the Magic simply because his father was a member of the team more than ten years ago.
Instead, Jeff Weltman, president of basketball operations, thinks Richardson, who is currently 19 and will turn 20 by the start of the 2025–2026 season, would meet the Magic’s most important needs going forward.
Richardson helped the Tom Izzo-coached Spartans get to the NCAA Tournament Elite 8 by averaging 16.1 points, shooting 42% from 3-point range per game, grabbing 4.6 rebounds, dishing out 1.7 assists, and almost stealing the ball (0.9) in the final 15 games he started as a freshman.
Jase is intriguing because, according to Weltman, “he made almost no mistakes for a guy who really carried a huge part of their offense and had to generate shots for himself and for others.” The man makes rapid decisions, moves the ball extremely easily, and finishes around the rim in a cunning manner. He certainly benefits a little by being left-handed, and he simply adores basketball.
“He’s a fighter,” the Magic executive continued, adding that you don’t play for Tom Izzo if you can’t defend and rebound. We are thrilled about him because all of those factors came together [together].
Richardson provides 3-point shooting to a club that finished the previous season with a league-low 3-point shooting percentage of 31.8%, but he is not guaranteed playing time. Additionally, it’s unclear if he will play shooting guard or point guard for Orlando.
He joins a team that has been in the playoffs for the past two years as the 25th pick. Weltman stated that whatever he receives will have to be earned.
But like Izzo, Magic coach Jamahl Mosley demands his players play tough defense. After finishing in the league’s top three defensively each of the previous two seasons, it has become ingrained in Orlando’s identity.
He has had much coaching throughout his life, which has greatly influenced who he is and what he can accomplish, according to Mosley. His ability to have that IQ and comprehend what it takes to go on the floor is a huge time start, but he is up for the task in anything we ask of him.
Weltman disclosed that prior to the Magic trading the pick to Memphis in a historic transaction that brought them guard DeSmond Bane, the franchise was contemplating Richardson for the No. 16 pick.
The Magic front staff thought about their choices and devised a plan with their leftover first-round pick in the week or two following the transaction.
The 6-foot-1 Richardson was still available at No. 25, which was fortunate for Orlando.
We talked a lot about it, the schedule, and whether or not to choose a developmental player at this point. Weltman uttered those words. We didn’t want to put someone on the court at the expense of a good player or person. We believed that Jase was the point where all of those things came together.
Weltman continued, “He’s a really smart player [and] he’s a great shooter, which was obviously one of our missions to set out on this summer.”
Richardson hopes to assist his new Orlando teammates Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs, and Bane on the Kia Center floor in the same way that he watched his father assist players like Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson, and Hedo Turkoglu more than ten years ago.
Richardson, the younger player who will wear number 11, stated, “It’s a really great group of guys.” The players you mentioned are all of very high caliber, and I believe I can supplement that with shooting and playmaking.
I’ll do anything the team asks me to do.
You can contact Jason Beede at [email protected].
