Miami Heat guard Josh Richardson uploaded a somber post to Instagram in light of the news that he will have shoulder surgery and be sidelined for the remainder of the season.
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Richardson sustained his shoulder injury in Miami’s home loss to the Boston Celtics on Feb. 11.
He logged 43 appearances in the 2023-24 regular season before his season was cut short and averaged 9.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game while shooting 44.4 percent from the field and 34.7 percent from 3-point range.
The Heat inked Richardson to a two-year deal in the 2023 offseason. He spent the first four seasons of his NBA career in Miami and was drafted by the team with the No. 40 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.
Miami has been able to keep afloat in the Eastern Conference playoff picture so far without Richardson, as the team holds a 7-2 since he’s been out. The Heat’s only two losses during that span came against the Denver Nuggets on Feb. 29 and Dallas Mavericks on Thursday.
Mavericks guard Luka Doncic — who has been one of the best players in the NBA this season — led Dallas to a home victory over the Heat. He notched a triple-double of 35 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists and one steal while shooting 12-of-24 from the floor and 7-of-13 from deep.
Conversely, Terry Rozier starred on the offensive side of the ball in the losing effort. He scored a team-high 27 points on 10-of-17 shooting from the floor and 5-of-8 from 3-point range. Plus, he dished out a whopping 11 assists without committing a single turnover.
Rozier and the Heat will look to bounce back from their loss to the Mavericks when they take on the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road on Friday. The Thunder own the second-best record in the Western Conference at 43-19 and have picked up victories in eight of their last 10 games.
Oklahoma City is also a tough team to beat at Paycom Center, evidenced by its 24-6 home record this season.
