Sixers: Richaun Holmes’ role this season and how he can develop
The Sixers enter the season with a versatile group of bigs. How can the former second-round pick stay ahead of the pack off the bench.
The big man situation in Philadelphia was hardly ever an issue of “not enough bodies”. Starting the season with four young centers, it seemed the Sixers were in need to make an immediate move to free up the clutter down low. The return of the injured Joel Embiid created somewhat of a dilemma, as Nerlens Noel started to air grievances and Jahlil Okafor continued to nurse an injury that was expected to have a quick recovery time.
Embiid, Noel, and Okafor were all connected, especially the last two names. The name that hardly was brought up in the situation was Richaun Holmes. Holmes came off a promising rookie season where he saw time at the forward and center positions. His per 36 minute numbers saw him averaging 14.7 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. There were some obvious question marks, but considering the prospect he was on draft night, it seemed to be a value pick.
Holmes struggled defending the power forward position, and saw more success as the small-ball center. That played well for him heading into the 2016-17 season, even with a seemingly minimization of his minutes. Nerlens Noel was shipped to Dallas, Embiid went down with injury, and Jahlil Okafor was too inconsistent to play big minutes. This sprung Holmes into the starting center spot for a decent part of the season.
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Even when not starting, he was undoubtedly the Sixers’ best center for a majority of the season. Playing off the scoring punch of rookie forward Dario Saric, Holmes saw an increase in almost all statistical categories. The most promising sign was his efficiency rating increasing as his minutes increased. Holmes racked up a 61.1% true shooting percentage, better than his 56.4% the prior year. He found his strong from the outside, hitting 35.1%, although on just 1.4 attempts.
He’s obviously a decent building block to have, considering he’ll be making a salary just under $1.5 million the next two seasons. The additions of Ben Simmons and Amir Johnson to the front-court will take some minutes away from the Bowling Green State University product.
Simmons and Johnson could see time as small-ball centers, but Holmes will likely see the greatest success in that role. Simmons will struggle defensively, although his stature and skill-set on offense could create a deadly scoring attack for the Sixers. Johnson isn’t much of an offensive player, but he does a serviceable job in all aspects.
What Holmes must do to keep his minutes above the rest of the benched big men is to improve his rebounding. Holmes recorded a better total rebounding percentage than Okafor and Johnson, but that’s not saying much. Holmes was in just the 10th percentile in total rebounding percentage for centers. His size does play a role, but his positioning must improve underneath the glass for him to become a force in the role.
Defensively, Holmes does a decent job of staying in front of his man in the paint, but struggles contain almost anyone off the dribble. He also tends to get into foul trouble, falling for pump fakes frequently. His impact as an improved defender would turn him into an extremely lesser version of what Draymond Green is to Golden State. He may not have the great impact Green has for the Warriors, but the Sixers would see a solidified bench with these improvements.
Holmes should have a field day in transition. He played well next to Ben Simmons in Summer League a year ago, and now he’ll try to mimic that play in the regular season. With Markelle Fultz, J.J. Redick, Saric, and Simmons being great passers in starting the fast break, Holmes should be finding a way to score in virtually every unit.
Next: Sixers: Health, money, and wins this season will have lasting impact
Holmes is quickly turning into the most valuable contract in Philadelphia. With Robert Covington set for an extension, Holmes’ trade value may be increasing greatly. If the Sixers were smart, they’d hold onto the young big man for as long as their cap allows them to.