TheCatsDomain.Com Message Boards: Richards’ Draft Stock Lower Than it Should Be?

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Posted by catmandoo (Member # 1284) on 04-14-2020, 09:12 PM:

There isn’t one player from the John Calipari era that has undergone as severe a transition in just three seasons as Nick Richards. A clumsy, baby deer-like freshman turned into an All-American hopeful just two years later.

Earlier on Tuesday, the junior center announced his intentions to leave Kentucky for the prospect of playing in the NBA. However, most mock drafts don’t foresee him making the leap so easily.

Richards’ status on draft boards ranges anywhere from the mid-40s to the late-50s. As we approach the halfway point of April, the consensus among experts seems to indicate that the 6-foot-11 center will either find himself in the middle of the second round or possibly even undrafted.

(Tankathon has Richards as the No. 61 overall prospect. The Athletic has him at No. 46 and ESPN at No. 59. He is not currently featured in NBC Sports mock draft, which only projects the top-40 selections.)

Richards rapidly improved over the summer following his sophomore season and broke out as a legitimate SEC Player of the Year performer in 2019-20. Playing nearly 30 minutes per game as a junior, Calipari was finally unable to unlock the big man’s potential. Richards poured in 14.0 points and snagged 7.8 boards in 31 games while shooting 64.4 percent (4th in the nation) from the floor. While Immanuel Quickley assumed the position as the team’s go-to player throughout the SEC schedule, Richards was still productive, if not more so than during nonconference play

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