Richaun Holmes

Holmes cut the three-point shot out of his diet and enjoyed the most efficient season of his career in 2018-19, posting career-high percentages from the field (60.8) and the charity stripe (73.1). Moreover, he swatted a career-best 1.1 blocks per game in a career-high 70 appearances while averaging 8.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 0.6 steals across 16.9 minutes. Holmes held down the primary backup center role for the Suns last season, but he'll face more competition for minutes with the Kings in 2019-20. Fellow free-agent addition Dewayne Dedmon is likely to start alongside sophomore power forward Marvin Bagley in the frontcourt, while the 21-year-old Harry Giles is coming off an encouraging rookie campaign. As such, Holmes may have a hard time equaling his statistical production from last season. That said, Giles has had his fair share of injuries over the years, so Holmes is worth keeping an eye on even if he begins the season as the third center on the depth chart.

Holmes spent his first three seasons with Philadelphia and is coming off a 2017-18 campaign where he averaged 6.5 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists across 15.5 minutes. He had grown unsatisfied with his role with the 76ers and wound up being traded to the Suns this offseason. Despite the change in scenery, Holmes isn't expected to find a more prominent workload in Phoenix. The organization drafted Deandre Ayton with the top overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft and also bring back Tyson Chandler, so Holmes will be the third string center at best. As a result, he can be avoided in Fantasy leagues and is likely only a DFS option if injuries to Ayton and/or Chandler allow him to pick up a spot start.

Holmes, an early second-round pick in the 2015 draft, had a quiet rookie season. He averaged 13.8 minutes across only 51 games, dogged by hamstring, ankle, and Achilles injuries. Nonetheless, he entered camp before his sophomore season with some minor excitement, with team management going out of their way to include him in media conversations about their log-jam at center – at the time, the roster also featured three top-seven draft picks who played the position. Despite the significant depth at the position, Holmes maintained an average of at least 15.0 minutes per game every month before the All-Star break, though he did accrue several missed games in December, January, and February. As the season wore on, that depth ahead of him shortened, first when Joel Embiid suffered a season-ending knee injury, and then when Nerlens Noel was traded at the deadline. Holmes finally exploded in late March when Jahlil Okafor’s season also ended due to injury. Over the last 11 games of the season, when Holmes was starting, he averaged 14.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.9 blocks, and 0.9 threes in 30.4 minutes per game. Holmes enters his third season as the projected backup, ahead of Okafor, and behind only Embiid. That position carries major Fantasy potential, given Embiid’s injury history.

Holmes, the 37th overall pick in last year’s draft, overcame hamstring, ankle and Achilles injuries to log 51 appearances in his first season with the Sixers. Playing a limited role off the bench behind frontcourt starters Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor and top reserve Jerami Grant, Holmes logged 51 appearances, averaging 5.6 points, 2.6 rebounds and 0.8 blocks in 13.8 minutes per game. Sixers coach Brett Brown is high on the 22-year-old’s potential -- particularly as an offensive rebounder -- but it will be difficult for Holmes to find playing time in 2016-17 in a chock-full frontcourt. In addition to the names mentioned above, Holmes will now have to contend with another trio of lottery picks (Ben Simmons, Dario Saric and Joel Embiid) for minutes, which makes it unlikely that he’ll be a regular member of the rotation. If that’s the case, Holmes could head to the D-League for extended periods throughout the season.

Selected 37th overall in the 2015 NBA Draft by the 76ers, Holmes fractured his right elbow at summer league but did not require surgery. He signed a multi-year deal with the 76ers a few weeks later and is expected to be healthy by training camp. During his third year at Bowling Green, Holmes averaged 14.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.7 blocks, 0.8 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.6 three-pointers in 29 minutes per game while shooting 57 percent from the field and 71 percent from the free-throw line. His defensive prowess earned him the MAC Defensive Player of the Year Award. Before the elbow injury ended his summer league, Holmes provided 9.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.0 steal, 1.0 block, and 1.0 three-pointer in 17 minutes per game over three contests. The 21-year-old forward, sporting a 7-foot-2 wingspan, is yet another athletic wing the Sixers can utilize on defense for his innate ability to protect the rim. Holmes also boasts a deceptive three-point shot, converting 35 percent during his three years at Bowling Green. He still could use some offensive refinement on the low block, and with Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor slated to consume most of the power forward and center minutes, Holmes may find it difficult to play extended minutes off the bench.