The Phoenix Suns have acquired fifth-year large man Nick Richards from the Charlotte Hornets. ESPN’s Shams Charania broke the information on Wednesday by way of X. As a part of the deal, Charlotte will obtain Josh Okogie and three second-round picks.
Richards has been having fun with a robust season in Charlotte. He is averaging 8.9 factors, 7.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.2 blocks per recreation. His spectacular play off the Hornets bench had made him a sizzling commodity amongst contending-level groups heading into the commerce deadline.
The Suns desperately wanted assistance on the glass. They presently rank 25th in the NBA in rebounds per recreation, averaging 42.2 per night time. Richards’ capability to regulate the boards as a part of a second unit, or when working with the starters, ought to enable Phoenix to say extra management when trying to dictate the tempo of video games.
Richards’ impression runs deeper than that, although. The Suns are lifeless final in offensive rim frequency, with simply 23.3% of their complete offense coming inside 4 ft of the basket, per Cleaning The Glass. Including a real inside scorer, who’s a profession 71.5% scorer across the bucket, ought to give Mike Budenholzer one other dimension to the Suns’ offensive strategy.
The Suns have struggled to get the most effective out of their present heart rotation. Jusuf Nurkic was just lately moved to the bench, and Mason Plumlee, whereas serviceable, has struggled to make a real impression as a two-way large man. As such, Richards may very well be strolling into a major position straight from the soar. A 20-24 minute per night time spot within the rotation is not too removed from the realm of risk.
Whereas the transfer to accumulate Richards is not Earth-shattering, it does fill a real want for Phoenix. He will not rework the Suns right into a powerhouse, however he’ll shore up their rebounding, rim safety (ranked 13th in the NBA) and inside scoring. The commerce is a brilliant deal for Phoenix, even when it barely overpaid by way of draft picks and participant compensation.
