The Orlando Magic are seeing their first-round pick get his first action in the NBA.
With 4:22 left in the third quarter, Magic rookie point guard Jase Richardson checked into the game against the Chicago Bulls, making his official debut in the NBA.
Richardson was a “DNP – Coaches’ Decision” in the Magic’s first two games of the season, but head coach Jamahl Mosley turned to him to try and get a spark in the third quarter.
“Maturity. I mean, he possesses that,” Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley said.
“As a young guy, he already possesses that, but he studies the game. He’s asking the right questions, he puts in the work, that says a lot about him, that he’s able to just bounce back off it. No matter how the first half goes, he just comes out and realizes in his mind the score is zero, zero and you know he hasn’t taken a shot, hasn’t done anything. He just continues to play.”
Richardson hopes to be part of the Magic’s physical mentality as he needs that as part of his game to make up for being an undersized guard.
“We’re trying to be an aggressive team, but we have to be aggressive to a certain extent. Just making sure we’re doing the little things. Making sure that we’re getting our hands out of there. We still want to be physical, but we’ve just got to work on those little things because we keep getting called for fouls,” Richardson said.
Jalen Suggs’ absence due to left knee injury management definitely helped Richardson move up the depth chart to get into the game, but the Magic can rely on him as someone who can generate some offense for Orlando.
Richardson averaged 9.5 points per game during the preseason, proving that he can be a factor on the offensive end of the floor. The Magic hope that can translate to the regular season, where the intensity grows a little bit.
The Magic are in a tight contest with the Bulls, which will likely go down to the wire for a third consecutive game to start the season.
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