Josh Richardson Is The Philadelphia 76ers' X-Factor In 2019-20

Josh Richardson enters the 2019-20 NBA season as the Philadelphia 76ers' least-heralded starter.

Unlike Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and Al Horford, Richardson has no All-Star Game appearances under his belt, and he isn't on a megadeal like Tobias Harris. He also struggled as the Miami Heat's No. 1 option on offense last season, shooting only 41.2 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from deep.

While Richardson won't single-handedly make or break the Sixers' championship ceiling this season, he will play a quietly vital role as the team's X-factor.

Richardson might not be suited to serve as a lead scorer for a title contender, but he won't have to in Philly. Embiid, Simmons and Harris figure to shoulder a majority of the scoring load, while Horford and Richardson can fill in the gaps offensively.

Playing alongside elite passers such as Simmons and Horford should only help Richardson flourish as a high-efficiency scorer, too.

Richardson knocked down 38.5 percent of his catch-and-shoot three-point attempts last season in Miami, but he shot only 28.8 percent on pull-up triples. Since Simmons will operate as the Sixers' primary ball-handler in the starting lineup and Embiid will be lurking in the post as a dump-down option, Richardson will likely feel less inclined to pull up from deep and can instead bolster his volume of catch-and-shoot opportunities.

Richardson is a career 36.8 percent three-point shooter, so no one will mistake him for JJ Redick, who left for the New Orleans Pelicans in free agency. But with offensive floor spacing lurking as one of the biggest questions hanging over the Sixers heading into the season, he'll need to make opponents pay as one of the team's top three-point threats.

Richardson also can moonlight as a primary ball-handler. Although Raul Neto and Trey Burke figure to split minutes as the backup point guard behind Simmons during the regular season, the Sixers may turn to Richardson in that role during the playoffs, much like they did with Jimmy Butler this past postseason.

The 6'6" Richardson-the Sixers' shortest starter!-may make an even larger impact on defense.

"I know this team has had their slight problems with smaller, quicker guards, and that's one of the areas where I tend to excel at," he told reporters during the Sixers' media day. So I think I can kinda put a Band-Aid over that situation."

Richardson was being polite. The Sixers didn't only have "slight problems with smaller, quicker guards" last season; they coughed up career nights left and right.

Kemba Walker hung a career-high 60 points in an overtime loss in Philly in mid-November, while Stephen Curry and Kyrie Irving dropped 40-pieces against them as well. Devin Booker had a pair of 37-point outings against the Sixers, while Spencer Dinwiddie (39), Zach LaVine (39), D'Angelo Russell (38), James Harden (37), Victor Oladipo (36), CJ McCollum (35), Bradley Beal (34) and Trae Young (34) all erupted against the Sixers' horrific point-of-attack defense, too.

Richardson, who has an impressive track record of using his 6'6" frame to harass smaller ball-handlers, should help to address that deficiency.

"[Defensive coordinator Ime Udoka] definitely said I was gonna be one of the primary defenders," he said during media day. "In Miami, I was usually a primary defender with Justise Winslow. We would kinda take turns on who got who each night. So here, it's not gonna be any different. I'm prepared for that role."

If Richardson can adequately corral opposing ball-handlers, he would fix one of the Sixers' biggest defensive weaknesses from last season (along with backup center). That could help the Sixers establish the elite defense they've been eyeing since the start of training camp.

Toward the end of the 2017-18 season, ESPN's Zach Lowe called Richardson the Heat's "best all-around player." While he isn't likely to obtain that title so long as Embiid or Simmons are in Philadelphia, his two-way upside will make him an invaluable part of the Sixers nevertheless.

"He is a threat both on and off the ball-must-have versatility for a star-less team that compensates by turning all five players into live-wire threats," Lowe wrote. "He is a terror on defense, quick enough to chase point guards and rangy enough to jostle bigger wings-and even some power forwards when Miami goes super-small."

If the Sixers do snap their nearly 40-year title drought this season, expect Richardson to play a quietly big part in that.