On January 19th, Beijing time, the NBA regular season saw the Phoenix Suns take revenge on the Detroit Pistons. The Suns' new 2.13-meter-tall recruit, Richards, made his Suns debut, coming off the bench for 30 minutes, shooting 7 of 8 for 21 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal, with a plus-minus of +22, the highest in the game, delivering an impressive performance and helping the Suns secure a victory.
Today, the Suns continued with their regular starting lineup, with Plumlee serving as the starting center. Richards, wearing the Suns' No. 2 jersey, came off the bench at 7 minutes and 45 seconds into the first quarter, creating a foul through a pick-and-roll cut and making one of two free throws to score his first point with the Suns. He then continued to battle for rebounds and set screens for his teammates, even rushing into the paint to grab an offensive rebound and assisting Dunn in hitting a three-pointer. In his first quarter on the court for six minutes, he scored 1 point, grabbed 4 rebounds, and had 1 assist.
In the second quarter, Richards' offensive performance was outstanding - he scored his first field goal in a Suns uniform with a mid-range cut and layup, followed by a two-handed dunk after battling for an offensive rebound and a strong drive to the basket. Richards scored 10 points in the quarter, shooting 4 of 4; he was very efficient on the court, scoring 11 points and grabbing 5 rebounds in 12 minutes off the bench in the first half.
In the second half, in the third quarter, while Durant scored 21 points on 8 of 11 shooting, the Suns had a slight advantage in the back-and-forth battle. Richards came off the bench and contributed, scoring multiple times from the free-throw line after drawing fouls, contributing 6 points and 3 rebounds in the quarter.
In the final quarter, Richards continued to battle for rebounds and score on second-chance opportunities, delivering a crucial alley-oop dunk, ultimately helping the Suns win on the road against the Pistons.
Prior to this, the Suns completed a 4-for-2 trade with the Hornets, sending Okeke and three second-round picks to the Hornets, and in return, they received Nick Richards and a second-round pick. Richards' debut with the Suns was too impressive, as he screened, cut, and protected rebounds on the court, and he indeed has the potential to become the Suns' starting center in the future.