Michigan State guard Jase Richardson played his way onto NBA Draft boards with a breakout freshman campaign in the 2024-25 season.
Richardson showed off impressive composure and an understanding of the game at a young age, providing a calming presence for a Spartan team that made a run to the Elite Eight.
After his productive and seemingly out-of-nowhere year, Richardson declared for the 2025 NBA Draft. It appears he wants to stay in the draft and be a top pick.
We have recently made the case for Richardson to stay in East Lansing for one more season and forego the NBA, which you can read here.
Today, we’ll play devil’s advocate and make the case for Richardson not returning to MSU and staying in the draft.
To start, while Richardson has flaws in his game, they are not incredibly noticeable. He does not turn the ball over, does not get beat on defense often, and is an efficient scorer from all three levels.
While he is only 6-foot-3 and 185 pounds, his size did not prove to be an issue last season, as he was arguably the Spartans’ best player for much of the year. The NBA is another story, but he should be able to find a role at the next level.
Despite being undersized, Richardson has everything the NBA looks for in a guard. He can handle the ball, create offense for himself and others, and he holds his own on the defensive end.
This is not to say that he is a perfect prospect, but with a few flaws in his game and more he can tap into, it makes sense that Richardson is almost a lock for the lottery.
If Richardson were to return to MSU, there is no guarantee that he would lead the Spartans to a national championship. If he plateaus as a prospect, he would see his stock drop, potentially falling to the end of the first round.
Having Richardson back in East Lansing for one more season would help the team tremendously, but it may not be the best decision for him.
Richardson still has a month to decide if he wants to stay or go, so we won’t know what he’s thinking for some time.
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