Richardson tallied a career-high 12 points (5-6 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 1-1 FT) to go with three rebounds, one assist and one steal across 14 minutes in a 116-112 win over the Cavaliers on Wednesday.

Richardson is the first of the Kings’ three first-round picks to become a rotation player this season, as the Syracuse product has played in four straight contests and turned in the most impressive performance of his young career in a competitive game Wednesday. It appears the season-ending injury to Rudy Gay (Achilles) along with Ben McLemore’s exile from the rotation has allowed Richardson to move up a couple pegs on the depth chart, and he figures to see light minutes off the bench for as long as he continues to provide an impact. The Kings are still in the hunt for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, so until the team falls out of contention, Richardson probably won’t have a shot at receiving the sort of minutes necessary for him to warrant intrigue in most deeper leagues.