Richards will start at center Tuesday against the Thunder.
Charlotte's center rotation will be a mess to close out the season, as they will play two centers each night and sit the third big man. For Tuesday's game, Kai Jones is expected to be the backup center with Mark Williams getting the night off.
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Hornets' Nick Richards: On bench Sunday
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Richards is not in the starting lineup for Sunday's game against the Mavericks.
Richards played well as a starter while Mark Williams was recovering from a thumb injury, but he'll head back to his regular bench role now that the former Duke star is healthy. Richards is averaging 7.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per game when coming off the bench this season.
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Hornets' Nick Richards: Delivers double-double
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Richards ended with 10 points (5-10 FG, 0-3 FT), 11 rebounds and one assist in 27 minutes during Friday's 117-109 win over the Mavericks.
Richards recorded a double-double for the third time over his last six appearances and fared well as a starter, but there's a chance he might move back to the bench now that Mark Williams is back from a thumb injury. Having said that, Richards could still have value in category-based leagues if he keeps playing around 20 minutes per contest. He's averaging 9.4 points and 10.3 rebounds per game in his last seven games, all as a starter.
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Hornets' Nick Richards: Another strong rebounding night
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Richards ended Thursday's 115-96 loss to the Pelicans with nine points (3-4 FG, 3-3 FT), 14 rebounds and one assist over 30 minutes.
Richards continues to be a force on the glass in the absence of Mark Williams (thumb), posting 9.9 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.0 blocks over his past seven appearances. As long as Williams remains out, Richards should remain a quality fantasy asset, but his overall potential is limited by his offensive game.
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Hornets' Nick Richards: Inks three-year extension
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Richards signed a three-year, $15 million contract extension with the Hornets on Wednesday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
The Hornets locked up Richards for three more years after posting career-highs in points, rebounds, blocks, free throw percentage and minutes as the team's backup center this season. Although he will likely remain the backup to Mark Williams for the upcoming seasons, Richards can be a strong fantasy option when given enough minutes. He's shown that ability in his last five games starting in place of Williams (thumb), averaging 9.4 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks over 25.0 minutes.
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Hornets' Nick Richards: Cleans glass in elevated role
Rotowire
Richards notched 14 points (5-8 FG, 4-4 FT), 17 rebounds, two blocks and one assist across 26 minutes during Monday's 115-109 win over Indiana.
With Mark Williams (thumb) still out, Richards maintained a spot in the starting five and established a new career high in rebounds and while securing his third double-double in the last six games. The Pacers rank last in the NBA in defensive rebounding percentage, and Richards took advantage of Indiana's deficiency in that areas by grabbing six of his boards on the offensive end. When Richards plays at least 20 minutes, he's averaging 8.4 rebounds per game. If Williams continues to miss time, Richards has a path to solid rebounding numbers in addition to useful contributions in the blocks and field-goal percentage categories.
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Hornets' Nick Richards: Strong double-double Sunday
Rotowire
Richards contributed 15 points (5-6 FG, 5-6 FT), 12 rebounds, four assists and three blocks in 32 minutes during Sunday's 114-108 loss to Cleveland.
Richards remained in the starting lineup Sunday, turning in his 10th double-double of the season, and second in his last three games. With Mark Williams (thumb) riding the pine, Richards has a nice opportunity in front of him, at least for the short term. While no reports have suggested Williams will miss significant time, the Hornets are likely to take it easy in terms of getting him back on the floor. Richards should have excellent streaming value again Tuesday versus the Cavaliers if Williams remains sidelined.
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Hornets' Nick Richards: Swats five shots in starting role
Rotowire
Richards finished Saturday's 119-111 loss to the Jazz with nine points (4-7 FG, 1-1 FT), eight rebounds, five blocks and one assist in 30 minutes.
Stepping into the starting five for the first time all season while top center Mark Williams (thumb) was sidelined, Richards came through for any managers that streamed him for blocks, rebounds and field-goal percentage. The Hornets are listing Williams as doubtful for the second half of the back-to-back set Sunday against the Cavaliers, so at least for one more contest, Richards looks like he'll have elevated fantasy value while serving as a big-minute starter. Kai Jones is expected to remain in the rotation Sunday as Richards' primary backup in the likely event that Williams sits again.
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Hornets' Nick Richards: Starting at center
Rotowire
Richards will enter the starting lineup Saturday against the Jazz, Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer reports.
Mark Williams (thumb) is sitting out Saturday and is considered day-to-day going forward, opening the starting spot to Richards, who is coming off a double-double Thursday against Detroit and will be a popular streamer in Williams' absence. However, it's worth mentioning that the Hornets have only two games on the schedule next week for those pondering adding Richards in season-long formats.
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Hornets' Nick Richards: Tallies double-double off bench
Rotowire
Richards registered 13 points (6-7 FG, 1-1 FT), 10 rebounds, one assist, two blocks and one steal across 29 minutes during Thursday's 113-103 win over Detroit.
Richards hauled in a team-high rebound total while finishing as one of five Hornets players with 10 or more points in Thursday's victory. Richards has secured a double-double nine times this season. He could be a hot fantasy pickup if Mark Williams, who departed Thursday's win with a thumb injury, is forced to miss time.
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Hornets' Nick Richards: Blocks three shots in loss
Rotowire
Richards finished with seven points (3-4 FG, 1-1 FT), four rebounds and three blocks in 20 minutes during Friday's 117-106 loss to Orlando.
Richards blocked three shots off the bench, continuing to serve as the primary backup behind Mark Williams. Although he has secured himself a consistent 20-minute role, there isn't enough meat on the bone for him to be considered a pickup in standard formats. Barring a change to the rotation, he should be viewed as a rebounds and blocks streamer.
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Hornets' Nick Richards: Approaches double-double off bench
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Richards finished Monday's 117-106 win over the Pistons with nine points (2-5 FG, 5-6 FT), nine rebounds and one block in 18 minutes.
With starting center Mark Williams having seemingly stabilized into a 25-plus-minute role, Richards has been held to 20 minutes or fewer in each of his past five appearances while serving as Williams' top backup. Though the suppressed playing time caps his overall fantasy upside, Richards has produced well enough on a per-minute basis to merit attention in 14-team leagues or deeper, particularly for managers in need of rebounds and blocks. He's averaging 7.0 points, 7.0 boards and 1.6 blocks over his last five outings.
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Hornets' Nick Richards: Swats five shots in bench role
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Richards finished Wednesday's 120-110 win over the Spurs with six points (2-5 FG, 2-2 FT), nine rebounds and five blocks in 18 minutes.
Mark Williams has claimed the starting center gig in the wake of last week's trade that sent Mason Plumlee to the Clippers, but Richards has seized hold of a rotation spot as Williams' backup and looks like a strong pickup in deeper leagues. Despite playing fewer than 20 minutes in three of the four contests since the Plumlee trade, Richards has averaged 7.0 points, 7.5 boards and 1.8 blocks while shooting 56.3 percent from the field.
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Hornets' Nick Richards: Logs 17 minutes as primary backup
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Richards contributed seven points (3-4 FG, 1-2 FT) and eight rebounds in 17 minutes during Friday's 127-116 loss to Boston.
Richards assumed the role of primary backup behind Mark Williams, flirting with a double-double in just 17 minutes. With Mason Plumlee now residing in Los Angeles, both Williams and Richards are free to run riot as the two center options for the Hornets. He isn't worth adding in standard formats, but should he be able to nudge 18 minutes on a nightly basis, managers in deeper leagues could give him a look.
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Hornets' Nick Richards: Plays ahead of Mark Williams
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Richards finished Tuesday's 128-97 loss to the Suns with four points (1-2 FG, 2-4 FT), three rebounds and three blocks in 17 minutes off the bench.
After playing nothing more than garbage-time minutes over each of his last four games, Richards surprisingly re-entered head coach Steve Clifford's rotation as the primary backup to Mason Plumlee. Though he excelled as a shot blocker, Richards was a minus-18 during his time on the court and may not have done enough to permanently stave off promising rookie Mark Williams for the No. 2 center role. Perhaps Clifford just wanted to keep Richards involved after Williams had recently leapfrogged him in the rotation, but the Hornets' second unit is now worth monitoring over the next few games to see which of the two is the preferred backup option behind Plumlee.
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Hornets' Nick Richards: Re-enters rotation in loss
Rotowire
Richards amassed seven points (2-3 FG, 3-4 FT), one rebound and two blocks across 13 minutes during Thursday's 124-114 loss to the Raptors.
Richards was back in the rotation Thursday, sliding in as the primary backup behind Mason Plumlee. Mark Williams had been the preferred option over the past couple of weeks, so this move came as a bit of a surprise. Both players can put up fantasy-relevant numbers when afforded meaningful minutes. However, until Plumlee is scaled back, both Richards and Williams present as nothing more than luxury stashes in 12-team formats.
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Hornets' Nick Richards: Remains third-string center
Rotowire
Richards (coach's decision) didn't play in Monday's 121-115 loss to the Hornets.
After missing two games last week with a sprained right ankle, Richards has been active for each of the Hornets' last three contests, but he's logged just three total minutes during that stretch. Though Richards is healthy, head coach Steve Clifford acknowledged after Monday's game that rookie first-round pick Mark Williams has replaced Richards in the rotation as the top backup to starting center Mason Plumlee, per Nick Carboni of WCNC Charlotte. Clifford added that he eventually envisions Richards getting involved off the bench, but for the time being, the third-year big man doesn't look like he'll be featured in most games while Williams' development remains a greater priority.
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Hornets' Nick Richards: Active but limited
Rotowire
Richards (ankle) will play in a limited fashion Thursday against the Thunder.
An earlier report noted that Richards would be the team's third option at center Thursday. It's unclear whether his limitations stem from his sprained ankle or if he has just been surpassed on the depth chart by Mark Williams, who has played well in the last two contests with Richards absent. Regardless, Richards should not be in any fantasy lineups Thursday and should be monitored moving forward.
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Hornets' Nick Richards: Small role expected if available
Rotowire
Head coach Steve Clifford relayed Thursday that Richards (ankle) will not be the primary backup center versus the Thunder even if he plays, Sam Perley of the Hornets' official site reports.
Richards will apparently play third fiddle at center behind Mason Plumlee and Mark Williams, who has played reasonably well over the last pair of games. Richards will likely draw a more considerable role in future tilts, but he's not expected to see too many minutes Thursday.
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Hornets' Nick Richards: Could play Thursday
Rotowire
Richards (ankle) has been upgraded to questionable and could be available for Thursday's game against the Thunder, Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer reports.
Richards was initially ruled out Thursday but may return after a two-game absence with a sprained right ankle. If the 25-year-old big man can suit up, Mark Williams will likely be left out of the Hornets' rotation.
