New York Knicks: Top 5 point guards of all-time
By Nick Ziegler
Jan 10, 2015; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks fans during second half against the Charlotte Hornets at Madison Square Garden. The Charlotte Hornets defeated the New York Knicks 110-82.Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports
The University of Montana is not known for being a basketball powerhouse by any means, but it did produce Micheal Ray Richardson, who was selected by the Knicks with the fourth overall pick in the 1978 NBA Draft.
At 6’5’, Richardson was one of the new breeds of point guards that we see more commonly in today’s NBA, and although he would lineup at shooting guard, he was certainly a point guard at heart.
After a relatively quiet rookie season, Richardson would improve greatly in his sophomore season with an All-Star season. In the 1979-80 season, Richardson would average 15.3 PPG, 10.1 APG, and 3.2 SPG. His steals and assists that season would both be the best in the NBA that season.
In Richardson’s four seasons with the Knicks, he was selected to the All-Star team in three of those four seasons. With the Knicks, Richardson would average 14.1 PPG, 7.1 APG, 6.0 RPG, and a great 2.6 SPG. Richardson was a pretty complete player with his only weakness being his three-point shooting, but on defense he was a beast leading the NBA in steals four times in his career.
Richardson was traded by the Knicks to the Golden State Warriors for Bernard King, which is a clear indication of how good Richardson was.
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