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- Jul 7, 2008
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Strengths: Josh Richardson is somebody that everyone coach in America would want on his team. Josh is a team player willing to do whatever it takes for his team to win. Josh is a hard nosed defender that can guard 1-4. He moves laterally extremely well, positioning his body to beat his man to the spot without fouling. Josh is very aggressive on the defensive end, but doesn't foul out despite facing the best perimeter player every night because he knows to use his athleticism and body, not his hands. He has the ability to guard the opposing PG with his length and can force his man to go the way he wants him to go, which is valuable at 6'5/6'6. He also has great ability to close out on shooters. Josh is great at being able to fight through picks and screens and staying with his man. His off ball defense is as good as it gets. He puts his man in uncomfortable catching positions, and forces his man to catch the ball out. Josh is an excellent mid-range jumper, using his athletic ability to rise over the defender and stay on balance to make tough shots, and is especially deadly going to his left. He does a solid job finishing with his right hand and is excellent at crashing the offensive boards for an easy put back. Josh is a good rebounder for his size and does a great job getting back on defense to stop the fast break.
Weaknesses: Josh is not a good shoter despite his great ability inside 15 feet. Josh is a very bad three point shooter. He does not stay on balance and seems to shoot more to the side on three's. He also does not set his feet and rushes his shot. He also hesitates which can hurt the offensive flow on his team. Josh does sometimes struggle with quicker players especially if they cross him over. Josh needs to do better protecting the ball when pressured, and he is weak at feeding the post. He hesitates too much, and does not make the correct pass. He also is weak finishing with his left hand. Josh has improved as a free throw shooter, but that number needs to get to 75%-80%.
Final Thoughts: Josh Richardson is a winning player. If you want to win big in college basketball, you need someone like him on your team that leads by examples and does anything asked of him. Honestly, I'm getting away from the point of the evaluation, but watching Josh Richardson is pure joy for a basketball junkie. In this day of selfishness, watching Josh play basketball is enlightening, because he doesn't care about his touches, just doing what his team needs for the win. He's a defense first player that guards the other player's best offensive threat and can shut them down. He has no fear on the defensive end and can guard anyone under 6'8 and/or 230 pounds. That's incredibly valuable. Even though his range is suspect and he has to improve his three point to be respectable, he's automatic going left for a pull up jumper, and finishes well around the rim. Expect huge things from Josh Richardson this year as the glue guy for Tennessee.
Weaknesses: Josh is not a good shoter despite his great ability inside 15 feet. Josh is a very bad three point shooter. He does not stay on balance and seems to shoot more to the side on three's. He also does not set his feet and rushes his shot. He also hesitates which can hurt the offensive flow on his team. Josh does sometimes struggle with quicker players especially if they cross him over. Josh needs to do better protecting the ball when pressured, and he is weak at feeding the post. He hesitates too much, and does not make the correct pass. He also is weak finishing with his left hand. Josh has improved as a free throw shooter, but that number needs to get to 75%-80%.
Final Thoughts: Josh Richardson is a winning player. If you want to win big in college basketball, you need someone like him on your team that leads by examples and does anything asked of him. Honestly, I'm getting away from the point of the evaluation, but watching Josh Richardson is pure joy for a basketball junkie. In this day of selfishness, watching Josh play basketball is enlightening, because he doesn't care about his touches, just doing what his team needs for the win. He's a defense first player that guards the other player's best offensive threat and can shut them down. He has no fear on the defensive end and can guard anyone under 6'8 and/or 230 pounds. That's incredibly valuable. Even though his range is suspect and he has to improve his three point to be respectable, he's automatic going left for a pull up jumper, and finishes well around the rim. Expect huge things from Josh Richardson this year as the glue guy for Tennessee.