Miami Heat guard Josh Richardson suffers knee injury in Friday workout

Josh Richardson is bracing to be sidelined for the next six to eight weeks, a timetable that virtually ensures he will miss the entirety of Miami Heat training camp and calls into question his availability to start the season. The injury Richardson suffered can take anywhere from two weeks to months depending on the grade of the tear.

He met with the media Saturday at a 790 The Ticket appearance in Fort Lauderdale, where he made his first public comments (other than on social media) regarding his injury. He also let them know that he’s plans to be back as soon as possible. This will be his second season as he averaged 6.6 points and 2.1 rebounds during his rookie year, while being one of the best shooters on the team.

With franchise cornerstone Dwyane Wade having left for Chicago, Richardson figured to see a prominent role with the Heat coming into the 2016-17 season. “So I’m going to have a lot of games to play, still”. He shot 53 percent from 3-point range in that span, reaching double figures 14 times in a 23-game stretch.

Not only did they sign Dion Waiters-who can slide in and start for Richardson in a pinch-but combo guard Tyler Johnson emerged as a breakout player last season and was signed to a four-year, $50 million deal. It shouldn’t be a very long recovery, and I’d be shocked if he wasn’t ready for the start of the regular season. He will nearly definitely miss the majority of training camp, which could also set such a young team back even more.