Guard Will Richard entered his professional career as an immediate bright spot for the Golden State Warriors after arriving as the 56th overall selection in the 2025 NBA Draft. Securing a four-year commitment out of the draft, the 6’3″ guard quickly established himself as a potential second-round steal during a rookie campaign where he averaged 20 minutes of playing time and earned 21 starts under head coach Steve Kerr.
His inaugural season featured a standout performance on November 5 during his first career start against the Sacramento Kings, where he erupted for 30 points, seven rebounds, and three assists while shooting 10-of-15 from the floor. However, momentum slowed significantly following the league’s All-Star break as Richard encountered a steep rookie wall. That late-season slide culminated in him being left out of Kerr’s rotation entirely during the team’s Play-In matchups against the Los Angeles Clippers and the Phoenix Suns, leaving a disappointing punctuation mark on an otherwise encouraging debut year.
Twelve months later, Richard finds his spot in the rotation increasingly precarious despite a wave of early-season injuries that has heavily depleted the Golden State roster. During the team’s season opener against the Los Angeles Lakers, he logged 20 minutes of action, but 12 of those minutes arrived during fourth-quarter garbage time as the Warriors faced a deficit exceeding 30 points. Those eight meaningful minutes through the first three quarters came despite clear absences in the lineup, including Jimmy Butler, Moses Moody, and starting shooting guard Brandin Podziemski, who was sidelined by back soreness.
The trend continued during a Friday night matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies. Richard checked in off the bench for a brief three-minute stint in the first half but did not return to the floor as Golden State suffered a second consecutive defeat, squandering a 12-point lead with under four minutes remaining in regulation.
This early-season regression bears a striking resemblance to the trajectory of Trayce Jackson-Davis, another late second-round pick who was selected 57th overall by the franchise in the 2023 NBA Draft. Jackson-Davis enjoyed a breakthrough rookie season that extended into a starting role during the first half of his second year, utilizing his athleticism to impact the paint on both ends of the court. Yet, his offensive limitations eventually created spacing complications for a frontcourt that already featured Draymond Green. Jackson-Davis gradually faded from the active rotation following the emergence of rookie stretch-five Quinten Post and the subsequent acquisition of veteran Al Horford in free agency, leading to his trade to the Toronto Raptors at the February mid-season deadline.
For Richard, these early hurdles suggest that an explosive start by an older second-round selection may have masked structural limitations regarding his long-term viability in the NBA. Nevertheless, the guard will immediately find another opportunity to showcase his value as the short-handed Warriors head to Phoenix to complete a back-.
