Rounding up the draft grades for the Orlando Magic's selection of Jase Richardson
We now know where Jase Richardson will be playing basketball next season. The Michigan State basketball star was selected deep in the first round by the Orlando Magic, going at No. 25 overall after being considered a potential lottery pick through the process.
Personally, I think this was a great pick by Orlando, and I said as much in my piece analyzing the fit. I didn't give it a grade, but if I did, I'd give it an A. But how are other media outlets looking at the selection? Below, we rounded up several draft grades and analysis from around the NBA media landscape.
USA TODAY
Grade: B
At one point during the draft process, Michigan State's Jase Richardson was a projected lottery pick and the Magic got him at No. 25.
Yahoo! Sports
Grade: A+
Richardson ends up with the same team his father, Jason Richardson, played a chunk of his career for. The younger 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. Jase didn't inherit his father's height or dunk contest athleticism, though, so his smaller stature could cap his upside.
Bleacher Report
Grade: A-
The Magic waited way longer than necessary to address their obvious deep-range deficiencies, but maybe their patience will be rewarded. While they paid a premium to acquire Desmond Bane from the Memphis Grizzlies, he looks like a perfect fit for this roster.
Jase Richardson looks like another need-filler and a legitimate bargain at this point of the draft. There are some questions about his physical tools, but those were accounted for and then some by getting him this far removed from the lottery.
Richardson may not have the height (6'1") or anti-gravity bounce of his father, two-time Dunk Contest champion Jason Richardson, but he shows the on-court awareness of the son of a former pro. He almost always plays hard and smart, and he showcases soft touch from everywhere. And the way he deftly handled a late-season expansion in his role suggests he has more creation and playmaking than he was able to show under Michigan State's notoriously youth-averse head coach, Tom Izzo.
Richardson's lack of size could be an issue, though. He'll be targeted on the defensive end, and his ceiling will drop a bit if he can't harness the handles needed to operate as a primary playmaker at some point.
NBC Sports
Grade: A-
This is a quality pick this late in the first round and a good fit with the roster. Jase is the son of 13-year NBA veteran Jason Richardson, but nobody is going to confuse the two on the court. Jase is a smaller point guard who plays with pace, has a great feel for the game and can get into the lane and break down defenses. He's undersized, which raises defensive concerns, but he can be a quality reserve guard for the Magic and potentially develop into more.
CBS Sports
Grade: B+
The Magic needed backcourt depth and floor spacing with shooting after the Desmond Bane trade. Richardson checks both boxes. He scores in many different spots and did so with efficiency. He even finished well at the rim despite his size. He can play on and off the ball and score at various levels, but he was smaller than expected at the combine. He's just under 6-1, so being a combo guard at that size is going to be tough at the NBA level. Can he develop into a point guard?
The Athletic
Grade: NA
Richardson's size is a concern for somebody who won't be able to play point guard full time on offense, but this is a nearly perfect roster fit for him. Richardson can play off the ball in Orlando because Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero have the rock, and his ability to knock down shots will be a big help to an Orlando team that struggled mightily from outside a year ago. I had Richardson 14th on my board; he doesn't have enormous upside, but he might be able to play right away.
Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Andrew Brewster on Twitter @IAmBrewster.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NBC Sports
an hour ago
- NBC Sports
Anthony Richardson will start for Colts this week
The Colts play their first game of the preseason on Thursday night and head coach Shane Steichen revealed who will be starting at quarterback during a Tuesday press conference. Anthony Richardson will be taking snaps to open the game in Baltimore. Steichen told reporters that he expects Richardson to play a quarter and a half before returning to the bench. Daniel Jones is set to play the rest of the first half. Jones is also in line to start the second preseason game against the Packers and Steichen said that the playing time for the two quarterbacks will be divvied up the same way. The Colts listed Richardson or Jones as their No. 1 quarterback on the depth chart they released this week and the plan for the next two weeks suggests things will stay that way through the second preseason game. It remains to be seen if that will be enough time for Steichen to make up his mind about the Week 1 game against the Dolphins, but the play of both quarterbacks will be closely watched as that date draws closer.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Chicago Bulls bringing back historic pinstripe jerseys
How much of a statement their play will make next season is up for debate, but the Chicago Bulls' statement uniforms are winners. The Bulls are bringing back the pinstripes. This design is inspired by the jerseys worn by the team during the Jordan comeback championship era from 1995-97, as well as in 2007-08 and 2012-13. Chicago brought back Dennis Rodman to show off the vintage look jerseys. The team will wear the jersey on select Statement Edition game nights, which will be announced at a later date (after the NBA releases the upcoming league schedule in the next few weeks). I'll tune into those games just to see the jerseys back on the court.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
The De'Aaron Fox extension: Is San Antonio's deal with the dynamic point guard as bonkers as it seems?
The San Antonio Spurs have given De'Aaron Fox a full max extension, totaling four years and $229 million, underlining their belief that the point guard will be able to return to All-NBA form, while functioning as the secondary star next to Victor Wembanyama. Let's talk about it. The glass half empty perspective Even through the biggest lens of optimism, this extension comes with risk. Fox isn't a natural long-range shooter whatsoever, and that's a not insignificant shortcoming in 2025, especially when the Spurs in particular need to optimize the spacing around Wembanyama. Furthermore, Fox at 30% of the cap could see his trade value decline in this new era of aprons, where every dollar is squeezed to its full potential, as to avoid being put in financial handcuffs. There's also the element of age. Fox is 27, a full six years older than Wembanyama, which means their long-term future as a duo could get, well, a bit messed up. In Milwaukee, Giannis Antetokounmpo spent years being surrounded by older players, in form of Khris Middleton, and Brook Lopez, who eventually aged out and became less effective, leaving the Bucks in a situation where they couldn't replace them, seeing as money were tied up on them, and their trade values diminishing by the year. Fox still has some years left before the Spurs have to worry about that, but it's worth remembering the Bucks example, just for future reference. The glass half full perspective While there should be some long-term concerns, from a roster flexibility perspective, with Fox's extension, it's crucial to remember that he's one of the most explosive and dynamic point guards in the NBA. He's a career 21.5-point scorer, an athletic blur, and his defensive capabilities were generally underplayed due to the fact that he played in Sacramento for almost eight years. Fox is also a real point guard, in the sense that he can set the table, run the show, defer when necessary, get certain players involved when they haven't seen the ball for five possessions in a row, and he's by all accounts an exceptional locker room presence who has historically been a tremendous communicator. Not only will those leadership abilities help the Spurs on the floor, but they will also provide recent lottery pick, Dylan Harper, with a world of insight into what it takes to be a natural floor leader. Finally, the presence of Fox does provide the Spurs with a high baseline of talent, as they can stagger him and Wembanyama, to make sure there's an All-Star caliber player on the floor at every possible moment. The broader perspective All in all, it's fair to not like this contract, just as it's fair to love it. Essentially, it comes down to how much you value financial flexibility, and whether you think Fox is a player worthy of such a commitment. There is a difference between superstars and fringe All-Stars, of which Fox belongs in the latter category with his just one nod, and most teams are keenly aware that paying top dollar for the non-superstar can prove problematic. It's also worth considering that the Spurs will also have to hand Wembanyama an extension after the conclusion of next season, one which triggers in 2027. So, perhaps then, there is a plan in place to utilize the $24 million spent on backup centers this offseason, not to mention Keldon Johnson's modest salary of $17.5 million, to make a play for something larger as the team nears the trade deadline. The Fox extension could also be viewed as insurance, should outside teams eventually be willing to fork over assets for him, and view the fact that he's on the books for so long as an asset in its own right. Regardless, fairly or unfairly, expectations now lie on Fox to live up to this deal, and to prove he is the guy to help the Spurs level up.
