Jerami Grant and Richaun Holmes have both done well in the preseason for the Philadelphia 76ers. Grant is showing growth in more relevant places.
The Philadelphia 76ers have had one of the most important preseasons in the entire NBA. While some of the better teams fanbases really see the preseason as a boring time of the season, Sixers fans have been able to look forward to things like it over the past few years, because it’s a lot like getting new toys.
The Sixers always seem to have some solid rookies debuting during the preseason. This year those rookies mainly were Dario Saric and Joel Embiid, but some other players showed up as well, they just didn’t play as much or as well.
While it’s a good time to get a good look at new players, the preseason has also served as a time to get a nice window into the improvements that previous players have made over the past few seasons. Two of those players this season have been Jerami Grant and Richaun Holmes.
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Jerami is entering his third season, and Holmes is entering his sophomore year. Holmes was overshadowed in his previous season since he was playing behind Nerlens Noel and Jerami Grant, and things might be the same this year with Joel Embiid also added to the mix.
While it’s generally accepted around the Sixers fanbase that the player who has shown more growth is Holmes, I think Grant might be showing more growth that is relevant to what the Sixers are looking to do moving forward.
Don’t get it twisted, Holmes has done incredible in the preseason. He has proven that he’s a big man who deserves minutes somewhere in the NBA. But his growth is somewhat irrelevant and hard to fit with the Sixers. The Sixers, as we’ve discussed, already have so many big men, that the growth that Holmes shows in the center and power forward position don’t really matter.
Sure, he’s a decent small-ball center, but the Sixers have shown little want to go with incredibly small lineups. I just don’t see how his growth is game-changing to the Sixers in any way.
Looking at their preseasons, Grant and Holmes have both played 140 minutes so far. So instead of looking at their stats adjusted to per-game or per 36 minutes, we’ll look at their grand totals.
Grant has put up 75 points, 18 assists, 5 steals, 6 blocks, 5 turnovers, and 24 rebounds.
Holmes has put up 70 points, 6 assists, 7 steals, 7 blocks, 5 turnovers and 43 rebounds.
If we want to consider shooting (and it might be important, moving forward) Grant is shooting 41.4 percent from the field and 28.6 percent from beyond the arc. Holmes is shooting 55.6 percent from the field and hasn’t made a shot from beyond the arc.
To me, those statistics show me something about each of the players, and show me why Grant is more valuable. The Sixers have been implementing players that trend towards more versatile lineups. Instead of having players who are good at just a few things, they have players who can play in almost any position on the floor.
While I don’t think the stats show that Grant can necessarily play the point guard or even the shooting guard, (yet) they do show that he is working to be a more versatile player with more and more skill sets each season.
Over the past few seasons, Grant has proven to be a solid player capable of doing a few good things on the floor. Previously, he was good as a high-energy player that could come in and boost the defense a little bit, providing the team with a solid rim protecting ability. Aside from that, he wasn’t really a positive player on offense.
Now, however, Grant has proven that he can score (at least in the preseason) and that he can do so away from the room. His near 30 percent shooting from beyond the arc was closer to 40 percent earlier in the preseason, and still, closing in on 30 percent is a step forward for Grant.
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Additionally, he’s proving his versatility with the 18 assists he’s put up. While he’ll never be a point-forward of any sorts, he could contribute to the pass-heavy and versatile offensive system the Sixers seem to be putting into place.
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The Sixers are looking to be versatile. They’re looking to put players on the floor with many skills. Grant has proven that he can be a solid defensive player, and now he’s showing he’s developing more skills on the offensive end of the floor, including passing and scoring. While Richaun Holmes is proving he can be a solid big man, that’s just not what the Sixers need right now.