“He Was Special”: Kevin Durant And Devin Booker Rave About Nick Richards’ 21 And 11 Suns Debut

Nick Richards had quite the debut for the Phoenix Suns during a 125-121 win over the surging Detroit Pistons. He dropped 21 points on 87.5% shooting from the field while grabbing 11 rebounds, leading to praises from Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.

“He was terrific. Finishing around the rim, getting extra possessions with offensive boards. He was special,” said Durant of Nick’s debut. The former Charlotte Hornets provides an extra layer of offensive edge that the Suns didn’t have previously at the center position.

“He was terrific, finishing around the rim. Getting extra possessions with offensive boards. He was special.”

Kevin Durant on Nick Richards 21 and 11 in Suns debut.

On him and Booker combined 17 of Suns 27 in 4th: “End of the game, got to get your best players the ball.” #Suns pic.twitter.com/IMnTNhxq1Z

— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) January 19, 2025

Devin Booker was also quite appreciative of Richards’ efforts in his first outing as a Sun. He said, “Nick was incredible. He was catching, he was finishing, he was rebounding.”

Richards is essentially an amalgamation of the rest of the 3 centers the Suns had in the rotation prior to him. He has Oso’s vertical spacing, Plumlee’s passing ability out of the post (to a lesser degree), and Nurkic’s strength.

His hard-hitting and timely screens will be vital in opening up the floor for high-scoring wings like Devin Booker and Kevin Durant. Bradley Beal will benefit from this as well if he stays on the team past the trade deadline. Richards’ rolls to the rim will also allow for the Suns ‘Big 3’ to operate more freely.

Booker mentioned that Nick’s presence in the dunker’s spot was crucial for them. Him being a lob threat while also having touch around the rim is something they were missing in Nurkic, who has fallen out of the center rotation altogether.

When speaking on his game tonight, Richards expressed elation regarding his debut. “Everything was flowing. I was fully being myself the whole entire time. Didn’t try to change anything. I know my style of basketball and I’ll just keep doing that.”

“Everything was flowing.”

“I was out there being me, playing my style of basketball.”

Nick Richards after going for 21 points and 11 boards in his Suns debut that ended in an 125-121 win over the Pistons. #Suns pic.twitter.com/bn61NhKcv6

— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) January 19, 2025

Richards’ skillset meshes well with the offensive players on this Phoenix roster so he’s right in not wanting to change anything about himself. On the defensive end, while he may be a bit undersized, having his mobility won’t result in him being a liability on switches.