When the Charlotte Hornets traded a 2024 second-round pick to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for the draft rights to 42nd overall pick Nick Richards, it was a sign that they believed he could maximize his physical gifts at the next level — not just enough to draft him, but enough to trade a future draft selection and get back into the mid-second round for him after having taken Vernon Carey Jr. 10 spots earlier.
Like Carey Jr., the pandemic didn’t afford Richards any luxuries (nor the rest of the planet) and it was difficult for him to get a true grip on his role as a rookie.