2025-26 Season
WILL RICHARD
2025-26 Season
WILL RICHARD
Richard produces at an below average rate for a 20-minute workload.
About this model: Net Impact can't measure floor spacing, help defense rotations, or playmaking gravity — so wings and guards are slightly undervalued vs bigs. How Net Impact works
TEAM COMPARISON
of 17 teammates (10+ games, 10+ min)
SKILL DNA
Percentile rank vs 235 Guards with 10+ games
THE SEASON SO FAR
Will Richard’s first twenty games were defined by a chaotic transition from bench sparkplug to wildly unpredictable starter. When he was dialed in, his ceiling was astronomical. He peaked during 11/05 vs SAC, where a massive offensive explosion of 30 points and elite perimeter shot selection fueled a staggering +15.0 impact score. Yet, that aggression carried hidden costs when his discipline waned. During 11/07 vs DEN, he tallied a respectable 12 points, but a nasty habit of settling for contested perimeter looks dragged his net impact down to a damaging -3.1. He did not always need to fill it up to swing a game, however. Just look at 10/30 vs MIL, where a modest 7-point outing still yielded a massive +12.0 impact because he generated absolute chaos on defense and maintained flawless shot execution. If Richard wants to thrive in his expanded role, he must realize his ultimate value lies in relentless two-way energy rather than forced jump shots.
Erratic engagement and wild swings in aggression defined this maddening twenty-game stretch for Will Richard. His overall value frequently detached from his actual scoring output. On 01/17 vs CHA, he managed just 11 points on 5-for-12 shooting, but generated a staggering +10.1 impact score because his absolute dominance in the hustle categories completely masked his perimeter struggles. Conversely, hidden defensive costs routinely sabotaged his otherwise decent scoring nights. During an 01/03 vs UTA outing, he chipped in 8 points efficiently, yet posted a miserable -7.3 impact because a glaring lack of rotational awareness allowed a steady stream of uncontested backdoor cuts. Too often, Richard simply faded into the background. This passivity culminated in a catastrophic 01/20 vs TOR performance where he put up a disastrous offensive goose egg. Missing all four of his field goal attempts and failing to pressure the rim resulted in an abysmal -16.4 impact score to close out the stretch.
A maddeningly inconsistent stretch defined by extreme offensive passivity threatened to derail Will Richard's spot in the rotation. He occasionally found ways to influence winning without the ball, such as on 01/26 vs MIN where he scored just 4 points but generated a +4.1 impact by using elite point-of-attack defense to shut down his assignment. However, those gritty performances were frequently overshadowed by nights where his hesitancy actively sabotaged the offense. During a disastrous outing on 03/13 vs MIN, Richard completely vanished to the tune of zero points and a catastrophic -14.0 impact, allowing his defender to freely roam and double-team other players. Even when he managed to score efficiently, hidden costs often dragged him into the red. On 03/20 vs DET, he poured in 11 points on near-perfect shooting, yet posted a -4.2 impact because crippling defensive breakdowns off the ball bled points the other way. To stay on the floor, he desperately needs to banish this passive streak.
IMPACT TIMELINE
Game-by-game performance vs average. Green = above average, red = below.
Boom-or-bust player. Richard's impact swings wildly relative to his average — some nights dominant, others invisible. Scoring varies by ~6 points per game.
Middle-of-the-road efficiency — shoots 45%+ from the field in 53% of games. Not automatic, but not a problem either.
Defensive difference-maker. Richard consistently forces tough shots and protects the rim — opponents shoot worse when he's guarding them.
Small downward trend. First-half impact: +0.1, second-half: -2.6. Not alarming yet, but trending the wrong direction.
In a rough stretch — 4 straight games with negative impact. Longest cold streak this season: 7 games.
MATCHUP HISTORY
Based on 76 games with tracking data. Shows who guarded this player on offense and who he guarded on defense, with their shooting stats in those matchups.
ON OFFENSE: WHO GUARDED HIM
His shooting stats against each primary defender this season
ON DEFENSE: WHO HE GUARDED
How opponents shot when he was the primary defender. Lower FG% = better defense.
SEASON STATS
GAME LOG
66 games played