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Nine-year NBA veteran guard Josh Richardson is set to miss the remainder of the season for the Miami Heat, as he will undergo surgery for his injured shoulder on Wednesday.
NBA insider Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press was among the first to report on the development. He relayed that after surgery Richardson will require a few months of recovery and that the player will be ready by training camp.
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The former Tennessee Volunteer dislocated his right shoulder against the Boston Celtics on Feb. 11 while going for a loose ball.
Until recently, he was with the team, which hoped to have him back, but it was eventually decided that surgery would be the fitting course for his shoulder to fully heal.
Josh Richardson was in his second tour of duty this season with the Heat, the team that drafted him in the second round of the 2015 NBA draft. He spent his first four seasons in the NBA with Miami, notching up career-high numbers of 16.6 points, 4.1 assists and 3.6 rebounds in the 2018-19 season.
He subsequently played for Philadelphia, Dallas, Boston and San Antonio. Last season, he played for the New Orleans Pelicans.
Before getting injured and the announcement that he would have season-ending surgery, Richardson, 30, was averaging 9.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists 25.7 minutes in 43 games. He started six games for the Heat.
Miami Heat updated depth chart without Josh Richardson
With key tweener off the bench Josh Richardson no longer expected to return this season as he undergoes season-ending shoulder surgery, the Miami Heat are expected to make some tweaks in their rotation as they look to finish strong in the homestretch of the regular season.
The absence of Richardson should allow Duncan Robinson (13.3 ppg) and rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. (12.7 ppg) to play more prominent roles on the wing. Along with Caleb Martin (10.3 ppg), they would be banked on as the regular season winds down.
Josh Richardson’s absence prompted the Heat to sign veteran Patty Mills from free agency. The Australian is expected to provide backup for Terry Rozier and Delon Wright in the point guard position.
To sign Mills, the Heat waived second-year guard Dru Smith, who’s out for the season after suffering a season-ending knee injury in Cleveland just eight games into the ongoing season.
The 35-year-old Mills previously played for the Atlanta Hawks, where he averaged 2.7 points.
Here’s the updated depth chart of the Miami Heat without Josh Richardson:
The Heat, the reigning Eastern Conference champions, are sixth in the conference with a 35-26 record.
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