Malachi Richardson, Michael Gbinije made NBA debuts last night

While a large collection of former Syracuse Orange players are currently in the NBA, two made their regular season debuts last night. Malachi Richardson suited up for the Sacramento Kings, while Michael Gbinije saw the floor for the Detroit Pistons.

Both players entered the game right around the two-minute mark in the fourth quarter to close out one-sided contests. Richardson’s Kings beat the Phoenix Suns by a score of 113-94. He was 0-for-1 from the floor, and picked up a personal foul.

Gbinije’s Pistons fell to the Toronto Raptors, but he wound up tallying his first career points on two made free throws. Like Richardson, he was also 0-for-1 from the floor, though his attempt was from beyond the arc.

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We won’t be providing updates on EVERY game the two Orange rookies play. But nothing wrong with the occasional check-in on their progress, right? Perhaps in game two, each can record their first made field goal. From early indications, it seems like garbage time is their respective best bets to get valuable minutes, but that could change if they continue to improve.