The J-Notes
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Utah Jazz: Best Prospects in Pre-Draft Workouts

By Ryan Aston

Feb 13, 2016; Boulder, CO, USA; Washington Huskies guard Dejounte Murray (5) attempts to regain control of the basketball in the second half against the Colorado Buffaloes at the Coors Events Center. The Buffaloes defeated the Huskies 81-80. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 13, 2016; Boulder, CO, USA; Washington Huskies guard Dejounte Murray (5) attempts to regain control of the basketball in the second half against the Colorado Buffaloes at the Coors Events Center. The Buffaloes defeated the Huskies 81-80. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /
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Malachi Richardson, Syracuse

Age: 20, Height: 6’6″, Weight: 200 lbs.

Current Prospect Rankings–DraftExpress: 35, NBADraft.net: 15, CBS Sports: 29

Last Season: 34.4 Min,13.4 Pts, 4.3 Reb, 2.1 Ast, 1.1 Stl, .370 FG%, .390 3PT%, .720 FT%, 13.8 PER

Walt Perrin’s Post-Workout Comments: “I think his skill is going to be shooting, although his numbers don’t dictate that from what he showed last year. But he was a pretty good shooter going into Syracuse, so I think that’s going to be his NBA skill.”

Spencer Wixom Analysis–
Richardson received an invitation to the green room, so the wing from Syracuse is expected to go around where the Jazz are picking. This freshman is athletic and adds versatility to a team.

The appeal to Malachi is that he has the tools to become a coveted three-and-D player. Richardson has a good shooting stroke and thrived as a catch and shoot player where he averaged 1.08 points per possession.

While he is best as a spot-up shooter, Richardson did show the ability to create on offense. He uses the pump fake to open driving paths for himself. Syracuse put the ball in his hands a lot, and he created off the pick and roll and in iso situations.

Richardson, however, showed very little feel for the game. He is a terrible passer, has bad shot selection and was not an efficient scorer. Richardson is a freshman, but he is fairly old for that class at 20.

He was a streaky shooter and while he has athleticism, he has not figured out how to really use it within the game.  He has the physical tools to be a defender, but he does not seem to understand how to play within a defensive system.

Malachi is a player that I am much lower on than the general consensus. Many people see him as a three-and-D player, but that is mainly projecting potential, not actual skills. I look at Richardson and see someone similar to James Young. Jazz fans will remember him as a player drafted before Rodney Hood based off of similar hopes on potential.

Richardson has a long way to go and, while he could put it all together, it is more likely that he becomes the next Nick Young. I don’t think Richardson will be drafted by the Jazz and have heard that he does not want to come to Utah due to the competition on the roster.

Next: Dejounte Murray