The Suns beat the Pacers by 35 points, but the starting center s plus-minus was as low as -13?

In the previous NBA regular season, the Phoenix Suns at home defeated the Indiana Pacers 133-98. After this game, the Suns, who had won 5 consecutive victories, improved their record to 8-5, and continued to rank seventh in the Western Conference; while the Pacers, who had suffered a 6-game losing streak, dropped to 1-11, and continued to rank second from the bottom in the Eastern Conference.

Although the Suns won a victory in this game, the performance of the team's starting center Nick Richards was indeed a disaster. Richards played for 15 minutes and 13 seconds. During this period, he did not complete a single shot. He made 4 of 6 free throws. He only relied on free throws to get 4 points, 1 rebound and 1 block. He also committed 3 fouls. His plus-minus value was also the lowest in the team -13. It is worth mentioning that Richards is also the only player in the Suns' rotation with a negative plus-minus. On the offensive end, Richards does not seem to have any scoring ability or finishing ability at the basket, and the effect is a mess. Not only that, his performance on the defensive end is also a mess. His inside defensive ability is very poor, and his personal defensive ability is seriously lacking. Richards' performance in this game can be regarded as being unable to attack or defend, and was completely defeated by his opponent. The team won a 35-point victory, but his plus-minus value turned out to be -13. You can imagine how bad his effect on the court was and how much of a negative impact he had on the team.

Richards was born in November 1997. He is 27 years old, 211cm tall and weighs 111kg. He is an inside player from the University of Kentucky selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the 42nd overall pick in the second round of the 2020 NBA Draft. In the middle of last season, the Suns completed a trade with the Hornets and acquired Richards from the Hornets. After joining the Suns, Richards played a total of 21 times in the NBA regular season last season, including 9 starts. He averaged 21 minutes per game. He averaged 8.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.3 steals and 1.2 blocks per game. He also had 1.6 turnovers and 2.3 fouls. He shot 56.1% from the field and 67.8% from the free throw line. Since the start of this season, Richards has averaged 10.1 minutes per game in the first 13 games, averaging 4.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 0.2 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game. He also has 0.8 turnovers and 1.5 fouls. His field goal percentage is 55.9% and his free throw percentage is 73.9%.

Richards' performance this season is indeed relatively average. His presence on the court is very limited, and his characteristics in all aspects do not seem to be fully utilized. The Suns currently have a winning percentage of over 60%, and Richards' average plus-minus per game is -2.1. Such a poor performance does seem a bit outrageous, and it also shows that he is really incompatible with the team's system and style of play. Considering the strength of the Suns' interior, maybe they should really consider sending Richards away as soon as possible and exchange for some chips. Otherwise, if this momentum continues, Richards' market value will only get lower and lower.