With Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green, Moses Moody and even Gui Santos all on the sidelines for the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night, rookie Will Richard emerged as one of the major storylines after increased opportunity in the 118-111 victory at Moda Center.
Richard has strongly made his case for a legitimate rotation role ahead of Golden State's regular season opener against the Los Angeles Lakers next week, and perhaps pushed his way past beloved championship veteran Gary Payton II in the process.
Will Richard might have already made Gary Payton II redundant to the Warriors rotation
The 56th overall pick could have hardly been more impressive in his first start with the Warriors, recording 13 points, six rebounds, two assists and a steal in his just over 25 minutes.