(Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
(Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
Nick Richards has been recalled by the Charlotte Hornets and will close out the 2020-21 season with the official NBA roster, the franchise announced on Sunday.
Charlotte President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Mitch Kupchak announced Sunday that the team will be bringing both Richards and former Duke center Vernon Carey Jr. up from the Greensboro Swarm – the team’s NBA G League affiliate – as the league moves on from NBA All-Star weekend and heads into the second half of the season.
In nine games with Greensboro, Richards averaged 17.0 points, 10.3 rebounds and 3.0 blocks in 26.3 minutes per game, leading the G League in blocks per contest and ranking eighth in rebounds per game. The Kentucky product has recorded 11 points and six rebounds over eight games in his rookie season with the Hornets.
Breaking out as a junior at Kentucky, the former Wildcat averaged 14.0 points and 7.8 rebounds per game while shooting over 64 percent from the field in 2019-20 en route to All-SEC First Team and All-SEC Defensive Team honors. Richards led UK in rebounds, blocks, and shooting percentage, with the 7-footer’s 64.4 percent field goal percentage also leading the SEC and finishing fourth-best in all of college basketball last season.
Now, the native of Kingston, Jamaica will rejoin the likes of PJ Washington and Malik Monk in Charlotte and help the Hornets – currently No. 7 in the Eastern Conference standings – make a push for the 2021 NBA Playoffs.