Suns substitute inside: The coach asks us to resolutely raise the pick-and-roll, and we must not hesitate

Phoenix Suns conducted daily training camp. After the training, the team's inside player Nick Richards was interviewed by reporters. In the interview, he also talked about the team's new head coach Jordan Ott's requirements for inside players to defend the pick-and-roll.

In response, Richards said: Ultra is trying to challenge all the inside players on the team, and he lets us do something we have never tried before. He asked us to be more in position in pick-and-roll defense. When inside players need to stand at the top of the arc in high pick-and-roll tactics, he asked us to resolutely choose to raise the upper hand and never hesitate in this regard. As inside players, we must find ways to put more defensive pressure on the opponent's ball holder, prevent the opponent from making easy moves or passing balls, and force the opponent to make mistakes as much as possible. We were a little uncomfortable with such requirements before, but we can also understand the purpose of the head coach's requirement. In the current NBA arena, the pace of the game is very fast, and inside players also need to make some adjustments and changes accordingly, so that they can better adapt to the current game speed and rhythm.

Richards was born in November 1997 and is 27 years old, 211cm tall and weighs 111kg. He is an inside player from the University of Kentucky in the 42nd pick in the second round in the 2020 NBA Draft. In the middle of last season, the Suns completed a deal with the Hornets, and the Suns gave Josh Okogie, the 2026 Denver Nuggets second round pick, the 2031 Nuggets second round pick and the 2031 Suns second round pick, and exchanged Richards and a second round pick from the Hornets. After joining the Suns, Richards made a total of 21 appearances, 9 of which were started, and averaged 21 minutes per game, with averaging 8.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.3 steals and 1.2 blocks, and 1.6 turnovers and 2.3 fouls. His shooting percentage was 56.1% and his free throw shooting percentage was 67.8%.

Richards' performance after joining the Suns last season can be said to be high and low. He once showed quite good personal abilities and could have a good effect on both offense and defense. But in the second half of the season, the Suns' record continued to decline, and Richards' performance also showed a significant decline. This summer, the Suns first got Mark Williams through trade, and then selected Khaman Maluach with a lottery draw in the draft, which would also make people feel a little worried about Richards' prospects on the team. I don’t know how much playing time and performance opportunities Richards will get in the new season.