With the logjam at the Philadelphia 76ers’ center position, Richaun Holmes is proving to the doubters why he’s deserves to be taken seriously.
At the start of the season, no one knew how this Philadelphia 76ers logjam at the center position would look. Now with the meteoric rise of Joel Embiid, it seems as though that position has been secured.
The real logjam now exists at the backup center position. Most would have expected Jahlil Okafor to have locked that spot up, but that is not the case. Richaun Holmes has been giving the 76ers big men a run for their money.
For most of the offseason, it felt like the center position was going to be the most crowded of the five positions on the team. Everyone thought that the it was going to be a battle between the triple threat of Joel Embiid, Jahlil Okafor, and Nerlens Noel. This has proven to be true, but it has only gotten even more competitive with the emergence of Richaun Holmes as a key rotational big. The center position has become a strength for the Philadelphia 76ers, to say the least.
Obviously, if you’re Brett Brown, there is no logical way to give all four of these guys the minutes that they truly deserve. If you’re Bryan Colangelo, there is no real way to keep four talented centers on your roster. Moves are going to have to be made.
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It goes without saying that Joel Embiid has to stay. There’s no way that you move a guy with that kind of talent. He’s the franchise player this team has been looking for since the seemingly endless void of the 2000s ended. So JoJo stays.
That narrows it down to the aforementioned trio of Jah, Nerlens, and Richaun. As Sixers fans, we’ve been debating between Okafor and Noel for what feels like a century. You have those individuals who believe that Jah is a 20-10 kind of guy. On the other side, you have those who believe that Nerlens is the kind of center you want as a backup: the defensive rim-protector who doesn’t try to do too much.
However, they both have flaws to their respective games that don’t seem rectifiable. Okafor, for instance, is a defensive liability. He’s nimble on offense but isn’t as elusive on defense. He ranks in the bottom have of the team in steals and registers a measly block per game. Some believe that Jah’s offensive skills should off balance his defensive woes. But what about Nerlens?
Nerlens is a much better defender than Jah. He was the team leader in steals per game and was the second best on the team in blocks per game. He’s much more a defensive ball hawk in that respect. However, his woes come on the offensive end. He lacks the ability to spread the floor and hit a jumper, unlike his counterparts- Joel Embiid and Richaun Holmes. This means that his only really offensive game comes from in the paint, where he shot about 52% last season. He’s average at best on offense, which hurts his stock. Not to mention his recent outcries about the center situation in general.
Now that leaves us with good ol’ Richaun. Homes is one of those guys who does extremely well for himself with the limited number of minutes that he plays. Of all the centers (excluding Noel) this year, Holmes averages about 17 minutes per game. That’s crazy considering that the other two centers on the team are on MINUTES RESTRICTIONS.
Aside from this, Holmes has become a more efficient player on both sides of the court. His field goal percentage has gone from 51% in 2016-16 to 57% this season. He’s also vastly improved his rebounding, averaging 5 per game. Holmes has shown more aggression and hustle than any player on the Philadelphia 76ers this season. He’s got that bloodhound sort of game that you want out of your backup big.
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If I were Brett Brown, I would seriously consider giving Richaun Holmes more opportunities to show the NBA what he’s all about. The guy’s got the drive and ambition. He’s got the heart. Much like the situation of teammate Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, it’s simply a matter of minutes. Now it’s time to put him in the game, Coach!