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St. John’s Playmaker Kadary Richmond A Legit NBA Prospect

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Villanova Wildcats guard Jordan Longino (15) drives against Saint John's Red Storm guard Kadary Richmond (1)

With Rick Pitino’s troops failing to storm back against the John Calipari-led Razorbacks, who built a double-digit lead midway through the second half, the Red Storm are now eliminated from the 2025 NCAA Tournament. One of the major storylines of the matchup is that Calipari, considered Pitino’s coaching rival, will be headed to the Sweet 16 for an eye-popping 16th time. Considering that it’s the first season that the former Kentucky Wildcats head coach has been with Arkansas, that achievement is even more of a head-turner.

The other big storyline involves St. John’s point guard Kadary Richmond, whose last collegiate game didn’t end on the best note. He went just 2-7 from the field. With just over six minutes remaining and his team down three points, he fouled out. It was a controversial call, but debating it doesn’t change the outcome.

Now, the fifth-year senior will presumably test the NBA Draft waters.

St. John’s Kadary Richmond A Legit NBA Prospect

Richmond has been a prominent figure in the NCAA since his freshman season.

A Brooklyn native who committed to Syracuse, he was ranked as the fourth-best high school recruit in New York by ESPN. Listed at 6-foot-5 coming out of Brewster Academy, he quickly proved himself to be a smooth two-way playmaker. In what was just his second game, he recorded 16 points, seven rebounds, six assists, four blocks, and three steals as the Orange won by 30.

Since then, the biggest change has been his jersey.

After his freshman season, he transferred to Seton Hall, where he was a full-time starter. He might not have had that same role had he stayed at Syracuse, where Joseph Girard and Buddy Boeheim were entrenched as starters. In 2024, he transferred to St. John’s to play for Pitino on a NIL contract in the high-six figures.

With that being said, his counting stats progressed steadily in that time. As a freshman, he averaged 6.3 points, 3.1 assists, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game. His senior season, he averaged 15.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.2 steals per game.

In the 2024-25 regular season, he averaged 12.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 2.1 steals per game. Yet, his turnovers were down and his blocks were up. He also recorded the program’s first triple-double since Ron Artest (now known as Metta Sandiford-Artest) in 1999.

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His only issue, save for a single season, is that he struggles knocking down shots outside of the paint. He’s a career 30.7 percent 3-point shooter, taking just 1.4 attempts per game. He’s a career 70.7 percent free-throw shooter but has two seasons shooting below 70 percent from the charity stripe.

Scouting Report, Projections

If he wants to play in a league that values the 3-ball tremendously, his issue dialing in from long-distance isn’t ideal. Nevertheless, it isn’t the nail in his NBA coffin.  With everything else he brings to the table, not even close.

It starts with Richmond’s basketball IQ, court vision and passing ability at 6-foot-6, his current listed height. At the defensive end he can guard multiple positions with his physique.

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Yet, he also has fast hands and knows where to position himself to be an effective event-creator. This actually aids him offensively, as he likes to push the pace.

With his size and skillset, Richmond is comparable to Orlando Magic point guard Anthony Black, the sixth overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. So far as being a reliable scoring option, Black is a work in progress. However, he’s already viewed as a strong perimeter defender, especially at his position.

Richmond is older than Black was at the time of the draft, so he’s unlikely to get selected as high. Nowadays, top-10 spots are typically reserved for prospects with the best combination of youth, potential, and NBA-readiness. In fact, older players are prone to getting selected in the second round, if not going undrafted.

That could be Richmond’s destiny. However, given his popularity, the NBA salivating over supersized point guards, and the fascination with the St. John’s program under Pitino, his name could generate a lot more buzz than other super seniors. Frankly though, he’s talented enough to where scouts shouldn’t need to swayed by what’s on the periphery.

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The post St. John’s Playmaker Kadary Richmond A Legit NBA Prospect appeared first on Last Word On Basketball.