Jase Richardson got his first taste of NBA action on Saturday night, and he didn’t disappoint.
The former Michigan State guard spent last season in East Lansing as a true freshman, dominated, and then got drafted in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft, exceeding all expectations that may have been placed on him before the season.
Heck, there were some (yes, myself included) who thought that Kur Teng was going to have the biggest immediate impact out of the three 2024 class freshmen.
Richardson proved a lot of doubters wrong, and yet his stock still dropped during the draft process because of his size. Not many two-guards in the NBA are just 6-foot-3, but the Orlando Magic still spent a first-round pick on him, and it looks like it’s going to pay off in a big way.
In his first NBA preseason action on Saturday, Richardson led all Magic players in minutes (24) while finishing with a team-high in points (13). He also had four rebounds, two assists, and a steal while shooting 5-for-11 from the floor and 3-for-3 from deep.
Turns out an incredibly high basketball IQ, high shooting percentages, a sixth sense for spacing and timely, accurate passing translate well to the league!!
— andrewtalkshoops (@andrewtalkshoop) October 5, 2025
Spent a good portion of May defending what we are seeing here!! 😂 pic.twitter.com/yCnfL8AdVJ
Richardson looked calm, comfortable, and not at all overwhelmed with the increased speed and size of the NBA level on Saturday night, albeit in preseason action.
It’s still early, and Richardson has a ton to prove before he can earn a regular rotational role with he Magic, but this was a great first step for him. He gained some confidence against the Miami Heat, and that’s going to help him play more freely moving forward.
I don’t know about you, but I’m excited to see Jase grow in the league this year.