Will Richard reflects on highs and lows of rookie NBA season with Warriors | NBC Sports Bay Area

How would you describe your first 82, 83, 84 game season in the NBA?

For me, I think it was a great year. I learned so much. Learned the life of the NBA, how to make sure I'm keeping my body right and being able to go through fatigue of the season and all that. And just being able to learn and what it takes to be successful at this level. So it's been a great year for me.

So you hit the wall at some point and how long did it take you to get through that? If you ever got through it?

I hit it a few weeks before All-Star and it kind of lingered all the rest of the season. I'm not gonna lie, it's been a, been a long season just from playing in the National Championship to 18 pre-draft workouts to Summer League to training camp. So it's been nonstop, but I mean, I've been asking the vets questions how to push through that and the mental fatigue it takes. So they helped a lot with that.

Hi, Will.

How you doing?

How much do you think, how much growth was there from, you know, so many guys having to take on bigger roles because of the injuries. I know that there were some devastating injuries, but also all the mixing and matching that went on. I mean, do you think that can be a positive for a lot of the young players going forward, despite how tough it was at times?

Yeah, for sure. I think there was a lot of growth just with there being a lot of opportunity with some of the injuries we had and guys being, having to be able to step up and make plays and get thrown in that fire a little bit. And I definitely think that benefited a lot of our young guys and help them moving forward.

And how much of a challenge was that at times? And just maybe some of the, the strength that you guys showed as a group to withstand those, those lows.

For sure. I mean, it's definitely a challenge. I mean, we had some injuries to some very key players, so everybody had to do a little bit more for us to win games and just try to be in that, be in that fight. So it definitely, definitely was a challenge, but I think we handled it the right way. Fought every time we were on the court.

Will, just where do you feel like your game grew the most as a rookie and what do you want to work on in this offseason?

I would say it probably grew the most in just the mental side of the game, being more locked in and disciplined on like scouts and stuff, actually studying other teams' players, their traits and tendencies and stuff like that. So being more locked in mentally. What I want to grow in this summer, getting stronger, faster, being able to shoot on the move, making plays off the dribble. And just keep growing on the season that I had this year and just keep building off of that.

Steve is obviously your first coach in the NBA. We know that his future is questioned right now, see what's gonna happen next. Just what did he mean to you and what is your interactions, your first remembrance of Steve Kerr?

Yeah, I mean, just a great coach in general. I mean, just from the way he poured into me from when I first got here and the trust he put in me early on in the season, that means a lot from a coach like that. It's definitely great to have a coach like that. Just somebody that trusts in you, pours into his players and wants to see you succeed. So it was, it was great having him as a coach.

What's sort of the summer kind of look like for you in terms of plans and things that you're going to do?

I need to rest first. Cause I'm tired for sure. So going to see family, I'll take a little vacation and then right back to work. Cause I know it's a big summer.

Are you doing summer league?

I will.

Yeah.

You're one of only a handful of players that are signed with this team long-term. How do you view kind of the uncertainty going forward with the roster?

For me, I can only control what I can control. So I just gotta make sure I'm ready and doing what I need to do to make sure I'm ready for next season.

What was kind of the biggest lesson you learned from the vets this season? Just reflecting on all that.

It was, it's so much to be honest, but just how much work it takes to be great. I mean, I've asked Jimmy, Steph, Draymond, Al, I asked some questions and I actually started taking notes of everything they said just because Those guys have played for a long time and they've done it at a high level for a long time. So if I can take something from every one of them, I feel like I have a very successful career.

Notes-wise, did you do that like in your phone? Is that like a journal? How do you take in that information?

Yeah, I use a journal and I write it down. Especially like the last few weeks when I wasn't playing, Draymond, he had some big challenges. Like he had to guard Kawhi, he had to guard Shay, and I was just asking him what's his mindset with like guarding those different players and just keys like that. That's something that can help you for a long time in your career, being able to guard those guys at a high level like he did. So just little things like that help benefit me.

Have you journaled in the past? And is that something that maybe you do outside of basketball as well too?

This is really my first year. And just because I knew this first year is about learning as much as possible. So I wanted to make sure I was taking notes to make sure I could keep them in, keep them in mind and learn from them. Yeah.

I know guys come into the league and often say that they thought they were prepared for the speed of the league. How would you say you handled the speed of this league and were you surprised by some of that?

It's definitely a big difference just because guys are so much talented and quicker and faster. But I think I got adjusted pretty quickly. We kind of played fast in college, so it wasn't, too bad of a transition for me, but it's definitely, definitely a notch up just with how talented the guys are. So I think I, I think I transitioned pretty smoothly into the speed of the league.