SAN ANTONIO — Spurs' newly acquired guard, Josh Richardson, is a rarity on the roster: An NBA veteran.
He joins Doug McDermott (seven seasons) as the only Spurs with six or more seasons in the NBA.
And he's willing to bring what experience he has to this young Spurs squad.
"It's exciting to come here and help these young guys figure out how to play," Richardson said. "How to grow."
Richardson comes to San Antonio as part of the trade with Boston in exchange for Derrick White.
In his seven seasons, he played with the Mavericks, 76ers, Celtics, and Heat. He's played in the NBA postseason with Miami, Mavericks, and the 76ers and has career averages of 12.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.06 steals in 30.0 minutes over 417 NBA games.
Add that up and it is a pool of experience for a team boasting its youngest roster ever since Gregg Popovich became coach in 1996, with an average age of 25.0 and minimal playoff experience outside of a handful of players.
"I've been through a lot of stuff they've gone through already," Richardson said. "I feel I can be another voice if anything to even things out."
A big benefit to helping Richardson be a veteran voice is the fact he is already familiar with the Spurs' system.
In Boston, he worked with former Spurs coaches, Will Hardy and Ime Udoka, where they implemented some of San Antonio's schemes and teachings.
"You can see it. Like in shoot around, the shooting drills that we did," he said of similarities between Boston and San Antonio.
Said Richardson: "You see things that are similar. Just the way they do things."
Richardson will be a potent reserve player.
He played 44 games this season for the Celtics, averaging 9.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 24.7 minutes while shooting .397 from three-point range.
He's also been a fan of Gregg Popovich, and the Spurs' system long before joining the team.
He recalls watching the Spurs-Heat pair of NBA Finals (2013, 2014) and is eager to do his part to bring the franchise back on top in the NBA.
“I remember being like, man, the kind of basketball they play is very, very appealing,” said Richardson.
Twitter: @KENS5, @JeffGSpursKENS5