In today’s era of college basketball where player turnover is higher than ever it can be tough for teams, even at the high-major level, to return productive pieces. With most transfers only having one year of eligibility remaining, if you hit on a quality player in the portal–it’s not often you have that guy for multiple seasons.
However, that isn’t the case for Florida when it comes to returning wing Will Richard.
Richard came to the Gators as a rare player who jumped from the mid-major to high-major level after only one season, giving Florida a talent who was yet to reach his full potential but one who has already shown chops at the college level.
This pickup showed some impressive evaluation from Florida’s coaching staff who didn’t have the regular amount of film and stats that you’d have from a three or four year player that’s generally making the leap from the mid-major level. Richard had respectable numbers as a freshman at Belmont–12.1 points and 6.0 rebounds per game–but not necessarily numbers that would suggest it was a certainty he could immediately start at the SEC level. Richard did just that, starting from day one of the Gators’ season and continuing to start in 30 of 32 games played–only coming off the bench in the pair of games that followed a return from injury. He was a reliable shooter, a willing rebounder, and someone who nearly always guarded the opposing team’s best wing player.
Overall, in a season of disappointment for the Gators–Richard was a major bright spot.
And he’s back for more.
Last season Richard averaged 10.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 0.8 assists, and 0.9 steals for the Gators–a predicted drop from his numbers at Belmont, but not at all the massive dip that up-transfers often make. You may have heard about the “sophomore slump” that often plagues college basketball players, and it would have been very easy for Richard to struggle going from an Ohio Valley Conference that was down to an SEC loaded with NBA prospects. It’s also worth noting that Richard suffered a knee injury before the season–one that he claims he never fully recovered from. However–there was no slump to be had, and Richard was excellent.
With Florida bringing in a number of transfers in both the backcourt and frontcourt there is going to be some uncertainty to start the season when it comes to some of these unknowns, but Richard brings valuable continuity. He was as steady a presence the Gators had last season, and he’ll be relied upon to be the glue that brings this roster together.
What made Richard most successful in his first season as a Gator was his accurate three-point shooting, knocking down 40% of his threes. Richard has a picturesque shooting form, one that holds up even as he worked on making his release much quicker than it was while at Belmont in order to get the shot off against better athletes. According to Synergy, Richard was able to hit 36% of his catch and shoot threes when closely guarded, and an astounding 52% when wide open. If you’re looking for an area where Richard can take the next level, this is a great place to start. You see, Florida’s offense was one of the worst at the high-major level at generating open catch and shoot threes (this was a large part of the reason the Gators shot the ball so poorly, as noted in an article I wrote here). If Florida were able to generate a league average amount of catch and shoot threes, and a bulk of these attempts went to Richard–you could easily see him taking a leap in scoring. Richard only attempted 4 three-pointers per game last season, fairly low volume for a shooter as deadly as he is. Florida’s offense simply wasn’t able to get him the open the team could desperately use, but this year could be much different. The additions of Zyon Pullin and Walter Clayton should bring much more electricity to Florida’s backcourt, and Riley Kugel’s return should mean a lot of defensive attention that could open up looks for Richard. Florida would be much better off with 7 or 8 three-point attempts for game for Richard and if he stays anywhere close to that 40% clip–watch out.
Richard has made it known that he thinks he has a lot more to his offensive game than just shooting and he’d like to get more opportunities with the ball in his hands to make plays. Last season he logged only 23 pick and roll possessions and, get this–0 isolation possessions (talk about knowing your role). These possessions didn’t go particularly well, with Richard struggling with turnovers particularly anytime he needed to get downhill with his left hand. He also logged only 31 possessions driving the ball last season, meaning if he wasn’t going to catch and shoot he probably was going to give the ball up. This isn’t to say that Richard isn’t capable of showing more with the ball in his hands–he was a young player making the transition to SEC basketball last season after all, and his conservative, relatively mistake-free basketball was probably what the Gators needed from him last season. However, his low number of creation possessions means that Florida probably shouldn’t expect him to excel in that area this upcoming season even if he gets more opportunities which will be interesting to see given the other talent on the roster. The Gators might see Zyon Pullin, Walter Clayton, and Riley Kugel as their high usage guys with Richard being a key floor spacer–but Richard may be looking for more.
No matter what Richard’s role will be offensively, you know he is going to compete at a high level defensively. Last season Richard logged more possessions as a primary defender than anyone on the Gators and his numbers were fantastic. Opponents were only at 0.72 point per possession while guarded by Richard, shooting only 32% from the field. These numbers are impressive on the surface, but are even more impressive when you factor in the context of Richard almost always guarding the opponent’s most explosive scorer.
Right now Florida’s starting lineup, rotations, and roles are up in the air given all the new pieces they have brought in through the portal and through high school recruiting. Given Richard’s shooting and defense he should make a strong push to be in the starting lineup to compliment the more high-usage players the Gators have brought in. If he does come in off the bench the Gators will know exactly what they’re getting from Richard, and that consistency is what makes him a valuable piece as we enter the 2023-24 season.