Sixers Lock Up Richaun Holmes

By Sean Kennedy (@PhillyFastBreak)

One of the byproducts of grabbing 2nd-round picks by the truckload is the locker room starts to get a little crowded. The Sixers roster officially grew to 17 when this news hit the wire yesterday:

Richaun Holmes’ multi-year deal with the Sixers will include a significant two-year guarantee, according to a league source.

— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) July 29, 2015

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Full details of the deal have yet to be released for the 6’8″ power forward from Bowling Green who was drafted by the Sixers with the 37th overall pick in this summer’s draft. Unlike the last couple years when the Sixers cycled through the back half of the roster with a series of mid-season 10-day contracts, they’re poised to lock up the last few spots with an intense training camp competition as they whittle their way down to 15 spots.

While guys like Scottie Wilbekin and TJ McConnell should certainly be looking over their shoulders, Richaun Holmes appears to be here to stay. Holmes had a great session in the Utah summer league, showing off a variety of skills before sadly breaking his elbow in the closing minutes of the last game. He projects as a good complement to Jahlil Okafor in the frontcourt, having range out to the three-point line offensively and offering athletic rim-protection on the defensive end.

The jury is still out on whether the Sixers will ever grab that superstar. However, they certainly seem to be grooming a nice stable of role players to surround him with should he ever arrive.