Why Jonah Bolden is an upgrade over Richaun Holmes
The Philadelphia 76ers made the right decision to move on from Richaun Holmes.
A large section of the Philadelphia 76ers fanbase was always in Richaun Holmes‘ corner. They wanted him to play over Amir Johnson last season, and weren’t particularly happy when the team traded him to Phoenix this summer.
That, of course, is understandable. Holmes was easy to cheer for — throwing down acrobatic dunks, making highlight-reel blocks and always working his tail off on both ends. Like so many others on the roster, he fit the Philly culture.
With that said, the Sixers made the right move. Swapping out Holmes for Jonah Bolden, Brett Brown was able to upgrade his frontcourt depth in the short term while adding a more upside-laden piece for the future.
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Bolden won’t get much playing time next season, as both Johnson and Mike Muscala are slotted ahead of him in the rotation. His role will be more developmental, cleaning up garbage time minutes and spending the occasional stint with the Delaware Blue Coats.
The Sixers are looking to compete in an Eastern Conference that is extremely winnable. The Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors remain favorites, but the Sixers should be in the mix after another year of internal development.
Holmes, however, is an excellent example of how the Sixers can get value out of Bolden right away. Using him in brief spurts as an energy source off the bench could allow Brown to get his youngest center some run with the regular rotation.
Bolden isn’t the same athlete as Holmes, but he does provide much of the same value offensively. He’s a long, springy rim-runner who can run the floor and finish above the rim with ease. He’s also a better shooter than Holmes, presenting some upside as a pick-and-pop option.
Ben Simmons developed solid chemistry with Holmes through Summer League a couple years back, and there’s reason to believe he and Bolden can develop similar chemistry next season. Both are from Australia and have fathers who played with one another in the past.
Much was said about Bolden’s struggles this summer, but some criticism was unfair. He is coming off a long season overseas, meaning fatigue is a factor. It’s worth mentioning that Bolden also played much better in the summer of 2017, so there is a larger sample size to evaluate.
On top of his offensive potential, Bolden’s defense is miles ahead of Holmes. While the latter was capable of racking up impressive blocks, Bolden is more fundamentally sound. He’s long and agile, allowing him to both protect the rim and defend the perimeter.
Even if Bolden’s immediate offensive production is a shade below Holmes, his defense will close that gap (and then some). Bolden is probably the better player as things currently stand, and that gap will only widen in the future.
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Holmes had, in many ways, peaked in his role with the Sixers. Bolden has a much more promising ceiling given his fit and diversity of skills.