J-Rich Must Step Up  

There were so many questions about the Orlando Magic going into this compacted 66-game season.

Would Dwight Howard be distracted by the trade request saga?

...Judging by the 28 and 20 he got Wednesday night, I don't think we have to worry about Dwight doggin' it.

Would Ryan Anderson be able to take that next step in his pro progression?

...Ryan has not only taken the step, he's taken a giant leap for mankind via his 19.7 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.

Would JJ Redick be able to become a consistent threat off the bench?

...JJ has sparkled this early season, averaging nearly 14 points and shooting 50% from the floor.

OK, here's a question that has not been answered yet.

Would Jason Richardson be able to give us that consistent go-to scoring threat from the starting shooting guard spot?

The answer to that question, to this point, is no.

Going into Friday's game with Chicago, to say Jason has struggled in the early season would be a clear understatement.

Jason is averaging nearly 10 points less per-game than his career average: 8.7 ppg. He is shooting a paltry 36% from the field--22% from three point range. Inexplicably, J-Rich has missed six of his 14 free throws so far.

These numbers from a guy who ranked #2 in the NBA in three's made and attempted? These numbers from a guy who is a career 37% shooter from distance? These numbers from a guy who is a career 45% shooter?

Should Magic Nation be concerned with the poor start by J-Rich?

Hmmm...

My gut tells me not to push the panic button just yet. After all, these guys just got into camp not even one month ago. The Magic have faced a daunting schedule so far with seven games in the first 11 days and three back-to-back scenarios.

Sometimes, veteran guys like Jason take a while to get going.

Problem is, we don't have any lead time this season. Jason must kick it into his high hear ASAP!

This team desperately needs J-Rich. The major knock on this team over the years has been the lack of a big time scorer at that shooting guard spot---a guy who can create his own shot--a guy who you can throw the ball to in crunch time.

Otis Smith went out and got Richardson from Phoenix last season to fill that much-needed role.

Last season, he was sorta uneven all year. But, that was understandable. It's tough to move to a new team and new town in mid-season and pick up where ya leave off.

So far, Jason has not been that go-to-guy.

But, luckily for him, his slow start has been overshadowed by the outstanding play of our Big Four (Dwight, Ryan, JJ and Hedo) and the 5-2 start they've provided.

Imagine how good this team can become once we get Jameer Nelson back amongst the living? Imagine how good we can be when Big Baby gets comfortable in Stan's system?

And imagine how good this team can be if and when Jason Richardson awakens from his early season slumber.