MSU's Jase Richardson Disrespected in Redraft

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Aidan Champion | Last updated Jul 19, 2025 1:24 PM ET

Nobody outside of the Michigan State fan base seems to be talking about what former Spartan guard Jase Richardson did in his two games with the Orlando Magic in NBA Summer League this month.

You read any national breakdown of Summer League standouts, and Richardson is nowhere to be seen. While Orlando, as a team, wasn't great this summer, going an abysmal 0-5, Richardson shined in his two showings, yet it seems to have gone unnoticed.

Perhaps the experts are hesitant to admit they were wrong about their doubts in the month leading up to the draft. Perhaps Cooper Flagg gave them enough to talk about, as if he wasn't already the projected No. 1 overall pick before seeing a minute of college.

It's easy to highlight the obvious.

Richardson was selected by the Magic with the 25th overall pick in last month's draft, and while he still got his recognition as a first-round selection, he probably should have gone higher.

And if you didn't think so before, he certainly proved it in Summer League, turning in 14- and 19-point performances, showing everything he was able to do in just one season of college.

Even so, Richardson didn't move in CBS Sports' Kyle Boone's redraft of the first round of the draft, staying right at 25 with Orlando.

"Some picks just feel *right*. Like, oh yeah, Jase to the Magic," Boone wrote. "His pops played in Orlando from 2010-2012 and he's a wonderful addition to this young Magic team."

To be fair, it seems Boone's picks were mostly based on right fits. But while Richardson may be the right fit for Orlando, there's no question he proved he should have been drafted higher, dispelling the notion that his size would be a hindrance.

Richardson has yet to play in a legitimate NBA game, of course, but with that considered, neither have any of the other prospects, so a redraft altogether seems rather premature to begin with.

Regardless, Richardson deserves some recognition, especially as he continues to prove the naysayers wrong, as he's been doing since before he even made his first start as a Spartan.

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