Story byJason Beede, Orlando SentinelTue, January 6, 2026 at 8:47 PM UTC·3 min readLast Sunday’s game between the Magic and Pacers marked the 36th contest of the regular season for Orlando. That number happens to be the same amount of games rookie Jase Richardson played during his lone season at Michigan State before he declared for the NBA. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAlthough Richardson has only appeared in 25 of the 36 contests so far in his rookie campaign, the near first-half of his first year as a professional has been tiring for the 20-year-old who’s continued to adjust to his new life in Orlando.“I’m not going to lie, I’m exhausted,” Richardson said after the Magic outlasted the Pacers at Kia Center. “It feels like Game 66 already, but (I’m) just maintaining my body, making sure I’m staying as positive as I can (and) staying healthy.”While the experience has been taxing at times for the young guard whom the Magic took No. 25 in June’s draft, Richardson has only grown more comfortable each time he steps on the court.“I just kind of feel my confidence growing from each game, just learning something new,” he said. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHis numbers back up his talk. Before facing the Wizards on the road Tuesday night, Richardson had appeared in each of the past 11 games, averaging 7.7 points on 37.9% shooting from 3-point range with 1.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and half-a-steal during 16.9 minutes per night. In his most recent outing, when he played a season-high 27 minutes against the Pacers, Richardson knocked down two 3-pointers to finish with 12 points, four assists and zero turnovers. Magic guard Desmond Bane, who specifically pointed out that Richardson ended with a team-best plus-minus rating of plus-14 against Indiana, saw firsthand over the summer the type of player the rookie could be for Orlando. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“The thing that I learned about that kid from the first week is, he’s not scared of the moment,” Bane said.
