Warriors rookie Will Richard shines in first start of preseason: ‘Keep it simple’

Play defense Run the floor Make open shots Keep the ball moving And again play defense Will Richard s role is in his own words simple And as a rookie second-round pick out of Florida it cannot be argued that Richard has been a standout in his simplicity this preseason He has flashed great passing vision while running the Warriors famously complex motion offense And in Tuesday s - win over the Trail Blazers his shot certainly came around The -foot- rookie scored points while filling in for Jimmy Butler For me I ve just been trying to play the right way and keep it simple Richard advised reporters after the win in Portland Throughout training camp I ve just been asking a lot of questions I want to be on the same page as everybody After winning a collegiate championship with the Gators in April Richard was the th pick in the draft by the gang he grew up rooting for He came off the bench during the first three preseason games and was ready to do it again on Tuesday But during morning shootaround coach Steve Kerr informed him that he would be playing with the starters Will s good and he really knows how to play Kerr disclosed He s in the right spots all the time and he s proceeding defensively and sees the meeting well Richard was ready for it At the end of the day it s just basketball Richard revealed But it is a little bit different playing with Steph and those guys because they know how to play and they play the battle for a long time and it s a lot more simple when you re out there with them With Steph Curry and the rest of the veterans Richard was not focused on getting baskets Instead he held his own while starting on veteran guard Jrue Holiday In fact he forced a turnover on his first defensive possession against Holiday Throw him in the fire and that s what Steve did and let him rock Gary Payton II commented I think he did tremendously Richard scored his first basket on a heady cut off a Jonathan Kuminga post-up Later on the rookie s -pointers late in the half helped the Warriors come back from an almost -point deficit Richard is not guaranteed a role with Golden State and might begin the year in Santa Cruz But if the preseason is any indication Kerr and the coaching staff believe they might have determined a late-round steal in Richard If you re on the roster there s perpetually going to be a path Kerr disclosed So much happens during the I won t hesitate to put him out there I have a lot of confidence in him already