It appears Michigan State star Jase Richardson had a better Day 2 at the NBA draft combine.
Yesterday, the notable takeaway around Richardson was his measurements, which came in significantly lower than his listed height and weight on the Spartans’ roster. However, Day 2 on Tuesday brought impressive results from Richardson — notably in the vertical jump.
According to Erik Slater of Clutch Points, Richardson had one of the best max vertical jumps at 38 inches. He posted the highest number in the second group, and was only a half inch behind the top number in the first group posted by Baylor’s V.J. Edgecombe.
Richardson starred for the Spartans in his lone season at the collegiate level, averaging 12.1 points per game and shooting better than 40% from 3-point range. That strong season resulted in Richardson rising up mock drafts into the lottery range and him declaring for the NBA draft. However, he has started to slip in those mock drafts; CBS Sports has him going late in the first round in their latest mock draft.
The impressive vertical from Richardson on Tuesday should help boost his draft stock and potentially negate the measurement discourse emerging out of Monday. But should Richardson’s draft stock continue to drop, he does have the option to return to Michigan State for another season. The deadline for him to pull out of the NBA draft and retain his college eligibility is May 28.
The NBA draft combine runs through the rest of this week, so we should have a better indication of where Richardson stands in his draft stock by this time next week.
Notable max vertical results in the second group:
Jase Richardson: 38.0 in
Jeremiah Fears: 36.5 in
Kasparas Jakucionis: 35.0 in
Egor Demin: 32.0 in https://t.co/LMBJumrSCL
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This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: Michigan State star Jase Richardson posts impressive vertical during NBA Draft Combine
Reporting by Robert Bondy, Spartans Wire / Spartans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
