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Will Richard scores 30 points in first NBA start

On3 imageby: Keith Niebuhr11/06/25On3Keith
Will Richard
© Bob Kupbens-Imagn Images

Florida Gators great Will Richard won’t forget Wednesday anytime soon. The rookie guard for the Golden State Warriors not only made his first career NBA start, but he dropped a career-high 30 points in a 121-116 loss to the Sacramento Kings.

“Will was amazing,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters. “This guy, from the beginning of camp, has shown he’s an NBA player. The experience, the poise, he doesn’t turn it over, he makes the right play. He can handle the ball under pressure, he makes the right pass. This guy’s a hell of a player.”

Richard, a 6-foot-3 guard, was a key member of Florida’s 2025 national championship squad. Last June, he was selected by Memphis with the 56th pick in the 2025 NBA draft, then traded to Golden State.

Richard had a strong preseason for the Warriors, then began the season with a promising start in October, averaging 5.7 points a game for the month. But in Golden State’s two games prior to Wednesday, he was a healthy scratch due to a coach’s decision.

With the Warriors missing three players Wednesday, Kerr inserted Richard into the starting lineup and Richard delivered a career performance. He made 10 of 15 shots, was 5 of 8 from 3-point range, grabbed 7 rebounds and handed out 3 assists.

Per NBCsportsbayarea.com, “He became the first Warriors player drafted in the second round or later to score 20 or more points in his first career start since Eric Paschall in 2019. He also matched the second-most points scored by a Warriors player in his first career start with the Warriors. John Lucas also had 30, while Anthony Morrow has the record with 37 points.”

Said Richard after the game, ““Just trying to keep it simple but make an impact on the game. I’m a big believer in controlling what you can control. Whatever role I’m in, I want to do whatever it takes to help the team win. Whether playing or not playing, I just want to see us win.”

SB Nation’s Brady Klopfer was among those to praise Richard.

He wrote the following: “I don’t really have words for what the rookie did, except to echo one of Bob Fitzgerald’s sentiments: you’re telling me there were 55 players in the draft better than Richard?

He set the tone early in what turned out to be a great first quarter by the Warriors, as he made a pair of quick threes and scored 12 of the team’s first 23 points. But it wasn’t just a scoring explosion for Richard: his defense was tremendous and, despite playing 35 minutes in a fast-paced game — and just his seventh career game — he only turned the ball over one time.

Better than any game Cooper Flagg has had yet. Just sayin’.”

For the season, Richard now is averaging 9.1 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists. Richard’s career high at UF came last season, when he scored 30 against Georgia.

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