Mike Budenholzer Gives Update on When Suns' New Acquisition Will Make Debut

Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer gave an update on when Richards will make his debut ahead of their matchup with the Wizards.

“We’ll see how it goes between now and then, but my guess is yes,” Budenholzer said when asked if Richards will play in Saturday’s matchup against the Detroit Pistons.

This is great news for the Suns who desperately need Richards in their lineup. Phoenix’s center rotation has been atrocious this season, and they hope that Richards will be able to fix it.

Phoenix has seen both of their options at center this season struggle. Jusuf Nurkić was the Suns’ starting center, but due to his poor play, he was removed from the starting lineup in favor of Mason Plumlee, who has not been much of an upgrade.

With Richards now likely to play on Saturday against the Pistons, he is expected to take over as the Suns’ starting center. The 27-year-old is averaging 8.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 56.1% from the field this season.

He is a much better athlete than both Plumlee and Nurkić, which should help out the Suns’ starting lineup immensely. He is also a great rebounder, which is something Phoenix desperately needs.

With the Suns fighting for their playoff lives, they hope that Richards can at least be a start to solving their problems, but for them to be title contenders this season, they will likely have to make a few more deals to upgrade their depth.