Richaun Holmes Handles His Opportunity and ‘great Promise' With Maturity

Richaun Holmes grows on you after a while.

In the snippets of playing time the Sixers' second-year big man was given as a rookie and in the first half of this season, there was always something eye-catching, whether a rim-run or a rebound, an alley-oop slam or even a three-ball, courtesy of that odd-looking, sidewise-spinning shot of his.

There were times he would sit, times he wouldn't see the floor for weeks on end. And then he would reappear and impress once more.

Management took note, particularly the second half of this season, after the injuries to Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor and the trade of Nerlens Noel thrust Holmes into an expanded role.

Again he delivered, and on Friday president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo gushed to reporters about Holmes' "great promise," about how his progress is a big reason the team continues to entertain the possibility of trading Okafor (see story), if his balky knee allows and a sensible deal can be found.

In other words, Holmes is all grown up now, and looms as the logical candidate to back up Embiid at center in 2017-18. That might not have seemed possible when he was making three midseason trips to the D-League, causing him to miss 16 straight Sixers games between Dec. 16 and Jan. 20.

But over his final 26 games Holmes -- taken 37th in the 2015 draft, 34 picks after Okafor -- averaged 13.7 points and 6.9 rebounds. Over the last 11 (all starts), those norms were 14.1 and 7.5.

He scored a career-high 25 points against Atlanta on March 29, grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds against Orlando on March 20 and had five double-doubles in all.

Yes, there were times the 6-10, 245-pound Holmes was overpowered by bigger, stronger centers -- Dwight Howard and Greg Monroe come to mind -- but the conclusion is that he has arrived as a player.

"I just think my physicality and my shape, really [are the difference] -- being able to do things I was able to do in short bursts last year for longer periods of time," he said late in the season. "The main strides have been physical."

There has never been any question about his attitude.

"He just sat there and accepted whatever we gave him: go to the D-League, sit there and clap, start, play behind Joel -- whatever it was, he accepted," coach Brett Brown said. "And he did it where it didn't diminish his work ethic, it didn't diminish his ability to coexist within a team. He found ways to improve individually, and he did it with a great level of maturity."

Yes, always that.

"I never had a doubt [about breaking through]," Holmes said. "I just continued to trust the work, and knew my opportunity was coming, and knew I had to be ready for it. That's all I've done. I've just worked, and expected the opportunity. Now that it's here, I'm looking to grab it by the horns."

He is the son of two Doctors of Divinity, Richard and Lydecia Holmes. Richard has been the senior pastor at Morning View "Word" Church, a Baptist house of worship on Chicago's south side, since 1990. His wife lists herself as the church's "First Lady" on its website.

You grow up with parents like that, Richaun said, and "you get away with nothing."

He chuckled at the thought.

"I mean, you try," he said, "but you get caught so many times, it's just like, you know what? I'm just going to tell the truth and avoid all the rest."

If there is a goodness evident in Holmes, there is also a toughness borne of being the youngest of Richard and Lydecia's four sons. The eldest three played hoops in high school, and nobody was about to cut the youngest a break in family competitions.

"Those were the toughest battles, you know?" Richaun said. "Guys used to beat up on me so much, but they're part of the reason I play the way I play now -- try and play with toughness, because they were so tough on me growing up. They just instilled it within me."

He grew from 6-2 to 6-9 during his high school career, the last two years of which he spent at Lockport (Ill.) Township High School, an hour outside of Chicago. After a year at Moraine Valley Community College (also near the Windy City), he headed to Bowling Green.

Over the next three years he became the first player in school history to accumulate over 1,000 points, 600 rebounds and 200 blocked shots, and he finished as the all-time leader in blocks, with 244.

His game has only grown since then. And now it is too big to ignore.