Behind Will Richard's Offseason Hunger For Regular Warriors Role Entering Year 2

Behind Will Richard's offseason hunger for regular Warriors role entering Year 2 originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Will Richard’s rookie year with the Warriors was solid by any rational standard. Selected late in the second round of the 2025 NBA Draft, he spent much of the season in the team’s rotation, making 21 starts and even posting his first 30-point game.

What Richard took into the offseason was the last two games: A play-in tournament win over the Los Angeles Clippers, followed by a loss to the Phoenix Suns that eliminated the Warriors from playoff contention.

Richard was among four designated spectators for both games, with a DNP-CD against the Clippers and glued to the bench until the final 66 seconds of the 15-point loss to the Suns.

Which only increases his hunger as he approaches Year 2.

“I didn’t play the last few games of the season, and that was kind of my motivational drive towards the offseason,” Richard told NBC Sports Bay Area. “Just working on things that I know will get me on the floor in those playoff (and) play-in games next year.”

On a Warriors roster listing eight guards – Stephen Curry, De’Anthony Melton, Gary Payton II, Brandin Podziemski, Brandon Williams, LJ Cryer, Lajae Jones and Richard – expected at training camp, the second-year NBA guard considers the summer as a launchpad to earn more consistent playing time.

“A lot of my focus has been on, like, ball-handling, with a lot of movement shooting, just my catch-and-shoot reps and stuff like that,” Richard said. Catching on the move, shooting on the move . . . different kind of finishes. That’s been a lot of the emphasis on sprinting in transition, getting shots through that, and attacking closeouts.”

Richard made a statement toward that end during Summer League activity, making two starts in the California Classic at Chase Center and then starting five in Las Vegas. Adjustments to his 3-point shot led to a quicker, smoother release and impressive accuracy. After shooting 33.5 percent from deep as a rookie, he vaulted to 48.3 percent in seven Summer League games.

If Richard, an active defender, can shoot around 40 percent from beyond the arc, it will be hard to keep him out of the rotation.

“He ran into the rookie wall,” Kerr told NBC Sports Bay Area. “He had a great season, and then the last 20 games or so, he looked like a rookie. He looked tired, and he didn’t have the same pop that he had earlier. That’s almost to be expected.

“But he’s had a great summer, and he’s been in the gym and constantly in the weight room. He’s putting in the work, so I’m excited about Will.”

Richard’s thirst for more action is evident in his quizzing of Golden State’s leaders, active and retired. He goes to Draymond Green to discuss ways to improve on defense, and goes to Stephen Curry to talk conditioning and offense. He even sidled up to Andre Iguodala for tips.

“He told me what I can work on right now is just talking,” Richard said of Iguodala’s advice. “If you’re talking on the court, it helps everyone and it helps you as well. So, just hearing stuff like that from a guy that’s been successful, has his jersey in the rafters. That is something I can do, something I can work on every day.”

Curry’s workouts are legendary for their intensity and duration. He has modified things to account for the “runner’s knee” that caused him to miss much of last season, but the sessions remain demanding. As Richard learned during those workouts.

“That changed my viewpoint on how to work out,” Richard said. “How serious he takes everything. Every rep matters, and it’s all in the details. But with Steph, every single rep is like a game rep. Even when he’s tired, it’s still a game rep. As athletes get tired, stuff starts to fade, your mentals, you get less locked in.

“But when he gets tired, he takes it up even another notch in terms of his focus and his attention to detail in every rep.”

Richard has spent most of his offseason on the Chase Center practice court working with player-development coaches, recently spending about 90 minutes on the court with PD coach Noel Hightower. It’s the work that comes before and after picking up a ball that matters just as much.

Dietary changes – he frequents local restaurants known for their protein options – and hours sweating in the weight room have led to Richard adding nearly 10 pounds of muscle. He engages in multiple sessions of hot yoga each week, something that began while closing out his college career at the University of Florida.

Richard’s dedication is commendable, but it’s also the physical and emotional requirement of someone trying to rise from being the No. 5 pick in the draft into a bona fide NBA player capable of a long and productive career.

Three weeks before training camp, Richard looks and feels like an exemplar of what Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy was saying about the team expecting – and needed to see – internal development from its young players.

“It’s just so much that comes into being a good professional and having to be successful in this league,” Richard said. “Luckily for me, I got some great vets to look up to and learn from.”

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