Malachi Richardson Signs with Agent, Will Enter 2016 NBA Draft

Syracuse freshman guard Malachi Richardson told ESPN's Jeff Goodman on Monday that he signed Andy Miller as his agent, which officially brought his college career to an end.  

In his lone year at Syracuse, Richardson was second on the team with 13.4 points per game while helping the Orange to a Final Four appearance against North Carolina. 

This is an athletic, versatile player who is dangerous away from the basket but is capable of putting the ball on the floor, playing through contact and finishing strongly at the hoop. 

At 6'6", Richardson could play at either the shooting guard or small forward role. But for him to play the former, he would have to improve his 35.3 three-point shooting percentage.

But he put his abilities on full display in the NCAA tournament, especially in the Elite Eight against Virginia, when he scored 23 points:

One NBA general manager was pretty high on Richardson and shed some insight on his low three-point shooting percentage when he spoke to ESPN.com's Chad Ford at the NBA Draft Combine.

"He can really shoot the basketball," the GM said. "He just took a lot of bad shots. He's wild. His decision making still isn't there, but the talent level and physical tools to get it done are there. I think he's got some star potential."

In Ford's latest big board, released toward the end of April, he had Richardson ranked No. 20 on his list of top-30 prospects. He wrote on Saturday, though, that he could go as high as No. 12 in the draft.

However, in DraftExpress' latest mock draft, which was updated Sunday, Richardson goes No. 37 to the Houston Rockets. 

Regardless of where he's going, Richardson officially looks poised to head to the NBA next season, where he can further develop into the star some are forecasting him to become. 

Stats courtesy of Sports-Reference.com.