Miami Heat rookie Josh Richardson has been diagnosed with a stress reaction in his left shoulder and is hopeful to play Sunday in Game 7 against the Charlotte Hornets, league sources told The Vertical.
Richardson underwent an MRI on Saturday afternoon and could need a shoulder brace to play through the injury. Richardson suffered the injury late in Miami's Game 6 victory in Charlotte on Friday, when Cody Zeller pulled his arm while setting a screen for Kemba Walker.
A 6-foot-6 guard, Richardson has played both backcourt positions and has often been part of the closing lineup in playoff games for coach Erik Spoelstra due to his defense.
After season-ending injuries to Tyler Johnson and Beno Udrih, Richardson was thrust into a backup guard role. In 29 games after the All-Star break, he averaged 10.2 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists while shooting 53.3 percent from 3-point range in 29.1 minutes per game.
Richardson, 22, has been one of the NBA's best rookies in the second half of the season. For the season, he averaged 6.6 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists.
If Richardson sits or is limited in Game 7, the Heat's bench could lose some scoring and defensive effort, though Tyler Johnson is returning from his own shoulder injury.
Richardson was the No. 40 overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft to Miami and signed a three-year contract after the Las Vegas summer league. As a senior at Tennessee, Richardson averaged 16 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.
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