Richards isn't in the starting lineup for Friday's game versus Rockets.
Mark Williams will replace Richards in the starting five Friday. Williams is averaging 7.7 points and 5.7 rebounds in 17.4 minutes across his 54 bench appearances this season.
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Hornets' Nick Richards: Nabs double-double in starting role
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Richards chipped in 18 points (7-9 FG, 4-5 FT), 11 rebounds and one assist in 27 minutes during Tuesday's 120-100 loss to Toronto.
After not taking the floor Sunday versus the Raptors, Richards made the most of his minutes Tuesday, knocking down seven of his nine shots from the field and four of his five attempts from the charity stripe. The effort marks his third double-double in his last four appearances, but he continues to sit every third game in a rotation with Mark Williams and Kai Jones. If that trend holds, Richards would have just Friday's game against the Rockets remaining on his season schedule.
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Hornets' Nick Richards: Will start Tuesday
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Richards will start Tuesday's game against the Raptors, Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer reports.
With Mark Williams (ankle) unlikely to play, Richards will return to the starting lineup Tuesday. Richards recently started eight straight appearances, averaging 10.0 points, 10.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 25.9 minutes during that stretch.
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Hornets' Nick Richards: Back in bench role Friday
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Richards will return to a bench role Friday versus the Bulls.
Richards had started his last eight appearances for the Hornets but will cede Friday's starting nod to Mark Williams, who returns to action after missing the previous game and all but two of the last nine contests. Richards has averaged 7.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and a block over 17.5 minutes per game in 53 bench appearances this season.
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Hornets' Nick Richards: Posts double-double in win
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Richards logged 14 points (6-9 FG, 2-4 FT) and 11 rebounds in 26 minutes during Tuesday's 137-134 win over Oklahoma City.
After taking the night off in Sunday's win over the Mavericks, Richards was back in the starting lineup Tuesday. At the same time, Mark Williams (rest) was unavailable, allowing Richards to post his fifth double-double over his past nine appearances. During that stretch, the third-year center has averaged 10.3 points, 10.3 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 26.2 minutes per game. The Hornets plan to alternate rest days for one of Richards, Williams and Kai Jones the rest of the way to open up playing time for two of the centers in any given game, so while Jones will likely sit out Friday's game against the Bulls, Richards' turn to sit will be coming up Sunday versus the Raptors.
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Hornets' Nick Richards: Will start Tuesday
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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
Rotowire
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
Rotowire
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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
Rotowire
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
Rotowire
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.
