Richaun Holmes: The Forgotten Philadelphia 76ers Big Man
By Aaron Mah
The Philadelphia 76ers’ frontcourt of riches has often been a hot topic of conversation, but when discussing the potential logjam, no one ever seems to consider the prospects of Richaun Holmes.
It’s hard not to notice what Joel Embiid has been doing thus far this preseason. It seems every other clip surfacing the internet over the last couple of weeks features “The Process” breaking out either a Dream Shake or put-back dunk.
The hype and adoration for JoJo may seem a little overwhelming, not to mention overbearing, but when considering what the man, and the Philadelphia 76ers fan base, has had to endure over the past two years, the overreactions have more to do with finally seeing our wildest imaginations come to fruition.
But while Embiid currently has the world around his proverbial fingers, their other high profile big men like Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor have had to suffer through months of trade speculation.
Certainly, the Sixers have assembled an embarrassment of riches in their frontcourt, housing a gluttony of giants in an era that rewards and emphasizes guard and wing play. Contemporary wisdom tells us that only one big can effectively exist in Philly’s ecosystem; and that big, barring injuries, is Embiid.
Even Noel recognizes this fact, telling the Philadelphia Inquirer the following during training camp:
"“I think it’s just silly…this situation that we are in now with three starting centers,” Noel said. “With the departure of [former general manager and president] Sam Hinkie, I would have figured that management would be able to get something done this summer.”"
But, as we sit just a mere 10 (!!!) days away from the official start of the 2016-17 NBA season, the trio of towers still lingers over the Sixers’ roster.
More from Philadelphia 76ers
- That escalated quickly: How the Harden-Morey situation intensified
- 3 NBA superstars with legacies on the line heading into 2023–24
- Ranking the 4 riskiest boom-or-bust NBA teams in 2023–24
- NBA Rumors: Stalled trade talks may lead to Blazers, 76ers keeping stars
- NBA Trades: This Blazers, Heat, 76ers, and Clippers swap would alter NBA
It would have been interesting to see if any of the aforementioned bigs could coexist with one another this preseason, but Noel has only appeared in one of Philadephia’s five exhibition contests, while Okafor has yet to play a game since Feb. 28 of last season.
Meanwhile, reaping the benefits of unforeseen opportunity is Richaun Holmes, the one Philadelphia 76ers big man no one ever talks about.
In many ways, the 23-year-old center is an ideal backup big man in today’s NBA — a high energy bouncy big who thrives at both finishing in the paint and protecting the rim.
He surprised many last season as a rookie with his motor and athleticism, and thus far this preseason, he has arguably been Philly’s most consistent performer. Although Embiid has grabbed all the headlines with his mind-numbing per-minute production, it has been Holmes who leads the team in points (12.4), rebounds (7.4) and blocks (1.4) per game.
Richaun has also been the Sixers’ most efficient offensive player, posting a Player Efficiency Rating of 28. and scoring on a True Shooting Percentage of 59.0, per RealGM. For comparison, Embiid currently holds a PER of 21.7, while hosting a TS% of 52.7.
Last season, the main bugaboo plaguing the former Bowling Green Falcon was his poor rebounding numbers and inability to stretch the defense (although he was/is a more than willing jump shooter).
Small sample size alert, but Holmes looks to have remedied his lackluster work on the boards this preseason, increasing his total rebounding percentage from 10.5 percent last year to 16.9 percent thus far in exhibition play. Even more notably, he has grabbed 26.2 percent of all available defensive rebounds in Philly’s five preseason games.
Must Read: LA Clippers: 2016-17 Season Outlook
So as the Philadelphia 76ers try to work out their front court logjam and debate the fit and nature of their three unique but often-brittle big men, Richaun Holmes will continue to carve out an all-important niche in today’s NBA.