Forsberg: Why C's shouldn't be in a rush to deal Josh Richardson

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In the aftermath of acquiring Josh Richardson last summer, Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens casually noted how the Celtics felt Richardson’s shooting numbers would stabilize in Boston.

Stevens essentially doubled down on that assertion when the Celtics tacked a one-year extension onto the final year of Richardson’s deal soon after. And Richardson has rewarded the team's loyalty by making Stevens look prophetic.

After two down shooting years in Philadelphia and Dallas, Richardson is now shooting 41.1 percent beyond the arc this season. Call it the Gordon Hayward Trade Exception Revenge Game as Richardson, acquired via the remainder of the Hayward TPE, knocked down six 3-pointers on Wednesday night to spark a strong bench effort as Boston held off Hayward-less Charlotte 113-107 at TD Garden.

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Richardson’s familiarity with head coach Ime Udoka and strong two-way play early in the 2021-22 season helped him cement a consistent role ahead of younger wings like Romeo Langford and Aaron Nesmith. Richardson has since emerged as a key part of Boston’s recent surge, including landing in the team’s crunch-time lineups over the past week.

Richardson’s name will dance in trade rumors -- in large part because of the high number of deadline buyers and a dearth of quality two-way wings -- but the Celtics shouldn’t be in any rush to cash in on their investment.

Udoka has started trotting out a lineup featuring Boston’s Core Four -- Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, and Robert Williams -- along with Richardson. In fact, that group might have saved the season.

The Celtics had just fumbled away a 15-point lead on Monday night against the shorthanded Miami Heat and Udoka called timeout trying to collect his squad. It was the sort of game that would have slipped away from Boston earlier in the season.

Udoka subbed Richardson and Tatum into a tie game and Boston responded with a brief run to regain control before halftime. That lineup had only played 38 minutes over eight games but owned a +28 net rating, including a sizzling offensive rating of 130.8. Filtering out trash-time stats, Cleaning the Glass data had the group at plus-41.3 net rating for 75 possessions.

Which is to say that, as Al Horford struggles to find consistency with his shot, being able to sub in Richardson is a luxury for the Celtics.

What's most notable about Richardson’s shooting turnaround this year? For two straight seasons he shot an impossibly low 32.1 percent on all wide open 3-pointers (6+ feet of space) in Philadelphia and Dallas (on a robust 200 total attempts). True to Stevens’ word, Richardson has bounced back to shoot 42 percent on all wide open 3s with Boston this year.

Asked if he’s feeling more confident this season, Richardson downplayed the uptick in efficiency.

“My confidence is always at a 10,” said Richardson. "I know who I am, know what I do, what I bring. Confidence is huge. A lot of this league is competence. Everybody's a professional, everybody knows how to play basketball. But, you know, it's make or miss, so you can't let the misses add up in your brain.”

There will be no shortage of contenders intrigued by adding Richardson’s skill set before February 10. While Richardson isn’t necessarily a piece of Boston’s long-term core, he’s complemented the core well. The Celtics can carry him into next season and his salary might eventually be useful in crafting any deal to acquire another impact talent.

Until then, the Celtics need his defense. They need his energy off the bench. They need his personality in the locker room.

And, just like Stevens predicted, they need his shooting.

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