The Golden State Warriors earned a much-needed victory on Saturday night, beating the Phoenix Suns 119-116 to avenge their loss from just two days prior.

Behind a combined 53 points from Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler, the Warriors defended home court and halted a three-game losing streak to remain within striking distance of a .500 record.

It wasn't just Curry and Butler carrying the team, though. In particular, one player who's been out of the rotation for the past few games was slotted back in and made an immediate impact: Will Richard.

Richard was drafted 56th overall in the second round of the NBA Draft this past summer and wasn't expected to be a mainstay in the rotation, especially with the logjam of guards and wings ahead of him.

However, the young rookie impressed in his first few games, and after scoring 30 points in his first career start against the Kings in early November, it seemed as though Richard would secure guaranteed minutes moving forward. That's why, despite 19+ minutes in 7 straight games at the end of November and early December, it was puzzling to see Richard pick up three-straight DNPs against the Timberwolves, Trail Blazers, and Suns on Thursday.

Steve Kerr put his trust back in Richard on Saturday, however, sensing a necessary change, and the rookie picked up right where he left off, clocking in as the Warriors' third-leading scorer with 20 points on 6-7 shooting from the field and sinking all 4 of his triples.

After the game, Richard reflected on the process and how he stayed ready.

"Steve (Kerr) was very transparent with me, and I appreciate that. For me, I didn't take it to heart or anything. I just knew that I needed to be ready when my opportunity came back around. I stayed in the gym and I knew when my number was called, I was going to go out there and make an impact."

Though the 20 points jump out in the box score for Richard, especially considering he played just over 19 minutes in the game, he did so much more that isn't shown in the stat sheet.

When he was in the game, he was often tasked with defending one of the higher-level Suns players, such as Devin Booker, Dillon Brooks, or Collin Gillespie. Richard was admirable on the defensive end and did a great job on the glass on both sides, snagging 3 defensive rebounds and 2 offensive rebounds.

Richard was also often in the right place at the right time on offense, thanks to a myriad of cuts and off-ball movement that greatly complements the motion-style offense that the Warriors usually operate in.

Richard knew he had a role to play and made sure to do what he could and not overextend himself.

"(I wasn't) overthinking. Take the open looks, make the right plays, crashing, stuff like that. Just keeping it simple."

The rookie seems poised to solidify his spot in the rotation after this performance, but only time will tell. The Warriors will play next on Monday against the Orlando Magic.