Philadelphia 76ers: 3 reasons trading Richaun Holmes was a mistake
By Derek Hryn
2. The best may be yet to come
Although the organization kept Holmes around long enough to make a well-founded decision on his future with the team, there is statistical evidence over the past three seasons that may reveal they didn’t grant him enough of an opportunity.
His average minutes played in his career is only 16.9 per game.
He went from averaging 5.6 points per game to 9.8 between his rookie season and 2016-17. This past season, however, he lost crucial playing time and fell back to 6.5 points per game. The team also switched his position to center, which wasn’t the best idea considering he is undersized at 6’9″.
The 2017 offseason may have been a sign of the organization losing faith in Holmes, especially when they invested in two players of the same position. In free agency last summer, they added Amir Johnson, and then they drafted Jonah Bolden.
On paper, Holmes is a better player than Johnson and Bolden at this stage of their careers. He also led the team in field goal percentage this season with a career-best 56 percent.
Only approaching his mid-20s in age, it is possible that the Sixers may have prematurely given up on Holmes — and it could very well show early next season.