Hornets Hive Cast | 1-on-1 with Nick Richards

Hornets Hive Cast | 1-on-1 with Nick Richards

Welcome to the Hornets Hive cast presented by Charlotte ey Ear Nose and Throat Associates the official I earns and throat care provider of the Charlotte Hornets here’s your host Sam Farber joining us in studio today here on the Hornets Hive cast Hornet Center Nick Richards Nick welcome back good to

Be back how y’all doing we’re doing great good to have you here season 4 for you in the NBA I think you’re officially a veteran now does it feel like you’re one uh not yet not yet I heard that when you get year seven or eight that’s when

You’re called a vet so I still got a ways to go okay that’s that’s a a fair number to me I think a veteran I think of a veteran is anyone who’s off of their rookie contract and there’s a lot that comes with that you’ve obviously now established yourself in the league

You’ve established a role for yourself you’re no longer just a prospect is that fair to say you could say that uh I think there’s still some room to grow in my game there’s some room to go for in everybody’s game you know look at guys

Who are like 17 plus in the league they still find ways to improve their game and learn learn a game does it help to at least have a stronger understanding of where you stand on the current roster meaning to say you know when you were starting off you didn’t know if you’re

Going to be in the rotation any given night or or how much you were going to play now you know you’re you’re part of that second unit you have expectations for you coming off the bench does it help you to make gains in some of those areas knowing what’s going to be

Expected of you night after night definitely you know you um go walk walking into the arena knowing that you’re going to play certain amount of minutes and you know you’re if you do the if you do the right things you’re guaranteed to play this amount of minutes um I would say it was

Definitely harder you know when I my first two years coming into the league and uh just walking in Walking In not knowing if I’m going to play tonight um so I would say it’s definitely gotten easier there’s also I’m sure some some financial assistance having signed that

Contract now how has your life changed now that you’ve gone from being on a rookie contract to being on something significantly more substantial it hasn’t really changed that much I’m not really I don’t really see myself you know being I got I kind of got to spend money that when he gets

More of it um I probably say my I probably just got more I’m into technology a little bit so I probably just got more expensive computers TVs video games probably stuff like that but everything else is is probably St the same with this group video game stuff you you got to stay on

Parts probably probably helps your gaming stuff yeah only four players on the team by my count have been with the Hornets longer than you have you’re in a class with lamelo and others obviously does it has it elevated Your Role within the team maybe not just as a veteran but

As one of the leaders in part of the core I guess you could say that I mean I came in with Melo so you know we’re we um we got draft together so you know we we know a little bit more about each other than guys that just came in but um

You also we also look at guys like miles Terry and PJ you know they’ve been longer PJ’s been longer here than it’s for one year so we look to those guys you know for for more leadership if anything entering the league with lamelo how have you seen him change since your

Joint rookie year H he said still he’s still the same guy personally but personality wise but basketball game definitely is got a thousand times better you know he came into the league um with the potential to be a superstar and now he is a super superar so um you know personal personality wise

Hasn’t changed a bit there’s a saying uh a lot of parents use you know working with their kids that years are short days are long and I think in the NBA you you could use that too the years are short days are long sometimes it doesn’t feel like it’s been four seasons since

You made your way in the NBA no it hasn’t def it’s definitely been really really really really quick um it feels like I just got I was just coming out of college yesterday I can remember everything that just happened um were uh it was the co year um we wait waiting

Months and months and months and months to get drafted um you know it would be a really good story to tell my kids one day hopefully when when they’re born well tell us a little bit of the story We we’ll give you a chance to you know

Work on the first draft of it I mean that was such a strange year in terms of I mean the workout processes were completely different a lot of players just didn’t have them the draft process like you said we didn’t know for a long time when exactly the draft was going to

Take place so you’re a Recollections now getting to look back a little bit on that time in your life and a very strange draft process that year for the NBA man it took a lot of patience that year it was just you know when when the pandemic first started we we hearing

Like the draft is going to be in July June gets there draft is going to be in August we’re in July now we here in the draft is in September it just kept on going it kept on pushing back and back and back uh at one point I

Didn’t think I was going to get drafted until maybe 2021 so you know it took a lot of patience we were grinding every single day in the gym um whatever gym we could find that could let us in um you know and it was just it was really a scary

Time for for everybody you everybody’s life was put on pause but you know it also showed who were the nitty-gritty guys the guys that were willing to find ways to you know make their life work and make extra money and find ways to make more money through the pandemic you

Know I think that’s that’s what really set everybody aside you know it sounds like you viewed it as much of anything as an opportunity which I guess everyone you know kind of had to we were all making the best of it with whatever we’re doing in our lives yeah uh

Definitely I try to make the most of it you know I try to learn new skills I try to figure out ways to you know got new hobbies you know got into that’s really when I got into video gaming you know I never really was a video game got into

Until the pandemic and um you know I had to figure out something to do while I was in the house just just you know being in there all all day it feels like you’re someone who can find the the Silver Linings of a situation so a lot

Of us look at your draft process your initial year in the NBA no summer league very little training camp and say wow what a huge disadvantage you’ve seen several classes since you and and now know what it’s like to play in a summer league to have a full training camp what

Were some of the Silver Linings to your experience that maybe uh you have an edge on some rookie classes that didn’t have the same experience you did if I wouldn’t put any I would tell any of these guys to go through what we went through my first year uh we had no

Fans couldn’t leave our hotels when we going on to W trips you know we had had to get tested every day before in the mornings after games before practice after practice so you know I wouldn’t I wouldn’t want anybody to go through that but I would say that you know um going

Through that whole entire process was very humbling for all of us you know it made all of us appreciate the the game of basketball more um you know it was taken away from us for for a short period of time but you know ADM everybody just appreciate the game more

I think that’s fair maybe putting Silver Linings of that experience but maybe the Silver Lining is greater appreciation now for everything you have you’re one of the players that seems to be first to raise your hand and volunteer to work in the community always have a smile for

All the fans out there how much more does it mean to get to interact with the fans and get to give back to the community given your experience initially not being able to interact with anyone When you entered the NBA uh you know just interacting with fans was

Just something that come naturally to me um me you know when I went to Kentucky Cal was really big on you know interacting with the fans you know showing their app showing their appreciation for them um you know you know they all they always come out and

Support us no matter if we’re having a losing year or we’re having a bad game we’re having a a great game you know they’re always there for us so I think not just carried over to me coming into the NBA you know whenever we’re having community events you know it it’s not

That it’s not that hard for for me to just go out there for a few hours and just interact with them and try to make somebody’s Day You’re Now established in the NBA and not just as a part of this team but one of the better relief

Centers let’s call it backup centers in the association you’re consistently up there not just amongst the the backups but amongst everyone in blocks per game offensive rebounds per game what are some of the things that you were able to figure out about the NBA game that’s allowed you to succeed so quickly coming

From a draft position where where quite frankly a lot of guys who are drafted in your range sometimes they don’t make it to a second contract or a fourth year or an established role I mean just trying to find something that the team needs and I felt like you know from the first

Two years we always eled um offensive rebounding um a guy that you know set good screens and you know just protect the rim and you know just bring that energy energy to the team and I felt like that’s something that always come naturally to me um you know the

Other side the skill-wise you know I’m Still Still developing still trying to get better at everything um you know I think my free throw game has also gotten way better as well um so you know just trying to find the things that the team needs out of one person and you know

What comes naturally to you you know you just have to put that out there has that been difficult to do cuz a lot of young players when they come into the league they’re trying to maximize everything they want to be honest they want to be Durant and it feels like not that you’re

Not trying to expand your game as much as you can but you’ve done a very good job and coaches have talked a lot about your ability to focus on the things that you’re asked to do excel at those first and then try and build from there I mean

For sure you know I mean I know I’m not the guy I’m not I know I’m not the best shooter on the team I know I’m not the best ball handler I know I’m not the best passer but I do know that I am a guy that can also bring energy every

Single night you know um that’s like I said before that’s just come it come naturally to me and I think that you know you need you need to find something that makes you stand out um I think that you know me being on the defensive side you know anchoring our defense

Protecting real as much as possible you know I think that just makes me stand out just a little bit the team the roster is certainly developed over your time here in Charlotte that said the storyline the last two seasons have obviously been centered around in injuries and absences how have you and

The rest of your teammates managed to deal with the frustration of knowing how much better you probably would be if you had all your pieces and knowing that just for for this recent spell it hasn’t been an option I mean you know it’s just one of those things I would just have to

Deal with uh it comes with the comes with a job um every coach every front office knows that it just comes with a job it’s going to happen to a team eventually um we don’t want it to happen but you know everybody has has to have

That next man up mentality and you know the coaches that’s on is also on them to figure out how to work our way around it and us and us some players is also the guys that don’t play that much you know it’s also on them to you know

Stay ready at all times you know the coaches are going to do their job they’re going to they’re going to figure out how to do how to work around it you know us players we got to figure out we got to do our job as well and we’ll

Close with some positivity or at least something I hope is positive what’s the level of optimism that once this team is finally whole that you can take off the way the front office believes the coaching staff believes is that resonate throughout the locker room definitely you know I don’t think I don’t think

Anybody on the team is hoping that guys come back you know we’re going to be better I think everybody on the team is trying to figure out right now you know um we always go into game no matter if melo’s out Terry’s out Gordon’s out you

Know Mark is out PJ’s out mil is out you know everybody on the team we also we come into the game thinking that we’re going to win and we’re going to give it our best no matter who’s out you know um that’s just the way we think and that’s

Just the way everybody should think no matter what team you’re on Nick appreciate your optimism always and all you do for uh the community here in Charlotte and for us here at the hhc thanks for joining us today on the Hornets livecast no no problem that does

It for this edition of The Hornet livecast remember the hhc is available daily wherever you get your podcast all throughout the NBA season with game previews every game Day reviews every day after and in-depth interviews everywhere in between I’m Sam Farber it’s been a pleasure and a privilege

Having you along and we’ll talk to you next time right here on the Hornets hicast thank you for listening to the Hornets Hive cast brought to you by Santa the official Eye Ear Nose and Throat care provider of the Charlotte Hornets for more coverage visit hornets.com

Nick Richards hops into the studio to talk about his first four seasons in the NBA, being a member of the same draft class as LaMelo Ball, entering the NBA during COVID, and expectations for the future.

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