Will Nick Richards return to UK or go pro?

After a disappointing sophomore year, Nicks Richards now has a tough decision to make about his future as a basketball player.

Richards’ position is an interesting one, because you could make a reasonable argument for him to return to UK for a junior season, or to take the leap now and begin his professional career.

Coach Calipari is still in the process of finalizing his 2019-2020 roster, and the Richards decision will play a major role in that rebuilding process whether he stays or goes. With several grad transfer and reclassification options still on the table, there will be lots of eyes on on what the 6-11 power forward chooses to do.

A big piece to this puzzle is that Richards was born on November 29th, 1997. He is 21 years old. So from an NBA draft potential standpoint, he is running out of time to convince GM’s that he has enough potential to spend a draft pick on.

Richards only averaged 4 points a game last season, and saw his minutes per game decrease from his freshman year.

Which begs the question, is it likely that Nick Richards improves his stock if he returns to Kentucky?

On the other hand, you could absolutely make the case that the Cats will have a need in the frontcourt next season allowing an opportunity for Richards to play through his mistakes with a longer leash than that of what he saw in 2018-2019.

This type of opportunity could be a great situation for him to showcase his shot blocking ability and paint himself in a better light. He is still almost 7-feet tall with a 7-4 wingspan. That type of player is hard to come by.

It is also well-known that Richards is in a relationship with Leah Edmond of the University of Kentucky Volleyball team. Who knows if something like that would play a role in his decision making process, but it’s possible.

That being said, I really wouldn’t be surprised to see any outcome when it comes to the Richards decision.

What do you think he will do? Vote and comment below.