One of the best freshmen to ever play for Tom Izzo is starting to really emerge in the NBA. Jase Richardson has been playing some really solid basketball lately for the Orlando Magic, but he’s had to fight for more minutes as the season’s gone on.
Let’s flash it back to his days as a Michigan State star.
Richardson’s freshman season didn’t exactly start “quietly”, but it wasn’t like he burst onto the scene from day one. He was playing well early on for Izzo, scoring in double figures in six of his first nine games, but he hit a bit of a “freshman wall” over the next four games, scoring no more than nine.
The son of Jason Richardson really cracked stardom in a February game with Jeremy Fears out, scoring 29 points to lead the Spartans back from a 14-point halftime deficit to beat Oregon.
Richardson’s stock would only rise from there as he took over as Michigan State’s best player, leading the Spartans to an incredible stretch with wins over Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Michigan again to end the season as the Big Ten champions — by three games. He then played really well in three of the Spartans’ four NCAA Tournament games, then later deciding to go pro.
Jase was selected No. 25 overall in the 2025 NBA Draft by the Magic.
How’s his rookie year going?
Jase Richardson is making a name for himself
Although Richardson has the name recognition, he’s had to do what every rookie has to do: fight for early minutes. Playing as a first-year pro isn’t a given for guys who aren’t selected in the lottery, and even lottery guys, but Richardson has been earning more and more minutes as the season progresses.
In the first month of his rookie season, Richardson scored just three points over four games, averaging just 3.8 minutes per appearance. In November, he doubled his minutes per game (7.6), averaging 4.0 points and 1.0 rebounds over seven games, shooting about 56 percent from deep. In December, Jase doubled his minutes again (14.7) while averaging 6.8 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.6 assists while shooting 48 percent from the floor.
January has been his best month yet as he has really broken out midway through his rookie year. He’s averaging 10.3 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.7 assists. He’s also shooting 59 percent from the floor and 53 percent from deep over six games. Just incredible shooting numbers. Oh, and he’s averaged a season-best 17.8 minutes per game this month.
Through the first half of his rookie season, Richardson is averaging 6.0 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.3 assists while shooting an efficient 51 percent from the floor and 42 percent from three.
Although he won’t win Rookie of the Year, he’s going to have a lot of new fans by the end of this season.