Generally speaking, it's fairly difficult to project how high school players will translate to the college level. Considering Syracuse players alone, DaJuan Coleman and Rakeem Christmas have shown us that even five-star recruits aren't guaranteed to make earth-shattering impacts immediately.
So it's important for Orange fans to stay rational with their expectations of Malachi Richardson, who barely missed garnering a five-star rating from ESPN. With that said, there's no denying that Richardson deserved his status as the prized recruit in Syracuse's highly-touted 2015 class. And though he has strides to make on both ends, he's gifted enough offensively to earn a regular spot in SU's 2015-16 rotation, even in a crowded backcourt.
Specifically, Richardson can really shoot, both from the perimeter and the mid-range. Though he's capable of creating his own shot, he's especially lethal on the catch-and-shoot.
But if there's one offensive critique of Richardson, it's that he's had a tendency to rely on his jumper, sometimes to a fault. That could end up frustrating SU fans when he goes cold, which he will from time to time. He's improved at putting the ball on the floor, so I'll be interested in seeing how often he drives to the basket rather than settling for jumpers. Regardless, Richardson can flat-out score, and it wouldn't shock me if he proved to be the Orange's best pure scorer right away.
On the other end, his size will help him. At 6-foot-6, he's big for a guard, which is ideal for the 2-3 zone. But as with any freshman, he could struggle to master the intricacies of the zone, which could cost him some playing time -- as it did with Kaleb Joseph last season.
What's more likely to reduce Richardson's court time, however, is the Orange's abundance of guards. SU returns starting guards Joseph, Trevor Cooney and Michael Gbinije. Without going super-small, it will be difficult to get those three players and Richardson on the court at the same time. Shifting Gbinije to power forward is an option, but that's the only one.
Otherwise, there will be those who clamor for head coach Jim Boeheim to bench Joseph in favor of using Gbinije at point guard with Cooney and Richardson on the wings. And though Gbinije is more of a natural wing player, he'll likely see at least some minutes at point guard.
Another solution will be to rest Cooney and Gbinije for a handful of minutes each game, creating more opportunities for Joseph and Richardson. Giving Cooney and Gbinije fewer minutes might not seem sensible, but in this case, less could end up being more.
Consider this: Cooney's efficiency dropped by a pretty considerable margin last season, as he shot just 30.9 percent from 3 after shooting 37.5 percent in 2013-14. His effective field goal percentage also dropped from 53.9 percent in 2013-14 to 45.3 percent last season. Playing alongside Joseph rather than Tyler Ennis certainly contributed to those declines, but so did playing 5.2 more minutes per game. Resting him occasionally -- and doing the same with Gbinije -- could be a win-win.
In any scenario, you can probably rest assured that Boeheim will get Richardson on the court this season. Richardson's pure scoring ability will be all too valuable for a team that will, in all likelihood, struggle once again to score.