Warriors backcourt rookie: It s a great honor to play with the veterans, and I m extremely grateful for it

Golden State Warriors backcourt rookie Will Richard recently participated in the local Bay Area radio program "Willard & Dibs". During the show, he talked about what it was like to be around the experienced veterans on the team and his nickname on the team.

When talking about the feeling of playing next to veterans such as Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green and Al Horford, Richard said: I grew up watching these players play. It is an absolute honor for me to be teammates with them now and to be able to witness their greatness and be by their side in every game and every practice. Every day I stop and think about this, and I would like to say that I am extremely grateful to be in a situation where my childhood dream has truly come true. When talking about his nickname in the team, Richard continued: They call Al Horford the Big Crocodile, so now I become the Little Crocodile. My teammates now either call me a rookie or a little alligator.

Richard was born in December 2002 and is now 22 years old. He is a backcourt player from the University of Florida selected by the Warriors with the 56th pick in the second round of this year's NBA draft. According to physical measurement data from the G League elite training camp before the draft, Richard's barefoot height is 191.1cm, his wingspan is 207.6cm, his standing reach is 261.6cm, and his weight is 96.2kg. In the NCAA last season, Richard represented his team in a total of 40 appearances, averaging 31.6 minutes per game. He averaged 13.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.7 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game. He also had 1.6 turnovers and 2.3 fouls. He shot 48.7% from the field, 35.9% from the three-point range, and 84.4% from the free throw line.

Although Richard's draft pick is not high, his background is actually not small. He is a starter for this year's NCAA championship team, the University of Florida. His performance during the Mad Three was very eye-catching, playing a key role on both ends of the offense and defense. This is also an important factor for the University of Florida to go all the way and win the championship. Since the start of this season, Richard has averaged 13.7 minutes per game in the first 6 games, averaging 5.7 points, 1.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.7 turnovers and 1.7 fouls. He shot 63.2% from the field, 41.7% from the three-point range, and 83.3% from the free throw line. The Warriors also highly recognized Richard's ability. The late second-round pick immediately became a member of the team's rotation and was able to get a lot of playing time. It is not easy to get such treatment. I don’t know if Richard can continue to maintain this level in the future.