Ht/Wt: 6' 8" / 235 lbs
Position: PF
Team: Bowling Green
Class: Junior

2015 Draft Profile - Richaun Holmes

Strengths:
Richaun Holmes has been one of the most improved players in the country over the last three seasons. He is an extremely explosive athlete and has worked hard to improve his offensive game, particularly his face-up game and jump shot.

His biggest improvement has been the development of that jumper which he stretched out to the college three-point line. Being able to consistently stretch the floor will go a long way as he becomes equally dangerous on both the pick-and roll and pick-and-pop. Holmes has a good first step and tremendous quickness getting off his feet, allowing him to get to the basket at will.

Defensively, however, is where Holmes plays at his best. He is a great shot-blocker who averaged 2.6 blocks as well as 8 rebounds per game, and was named MAC Defensive Player of the Year. Looking at his physicality, Holmes has what it takes size-wise to transition into the NBA on that end.

Holmes also does a lot of work on the offensive glass, getting plenty of baskets simply by outworking his opponents. With his athleticism and quickness at his size, Holmes could wind up being a solid contributer off the bench for a team that may need a gritty player like him. He's gotten better every season and still may have a lot of potential growth left in him.

Weaknesses:
Though Holmes has improved the range on his jumper, he will have to be able to shoot with more consistency. However, he still has a lot to improve on offensively in the post. He needs to add more of a back to the basket game and take his time to settle in the post, as he can play too quick sometimes and rush shots.

Holmes will still need to work on his ball-handling. He can struggle to see where help defenders are coming from and thus, can turn over the ball at times. He's been getting better at playing through contact, something he still needs to work on that might help him take care of the ball.

Holmes will also get the inevitable small-conference worries as competition wasn't great in the MAC. That being said, there's questions on whether he can play toe-to-toe with some of the bigs that play at the next level. However, if he can keep playing gritty and hit open jump shots, he may have what it takes to develop into a solid NBA player.

Statistics:
PPG: 14.7 RPG: 8.0 APG: 0.8 SPG: 0.7 BPG: 2.6 FG%: 56.3 FT%: 71.2 3PT%: 41.9




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