Brown opts for instant energy from Holmes
PHILADELPHIA » At some point as the Sixers fight for playoff positioning, or maybe even later, Richaun Holmes was bound to go from an option to a necessity.
Brett Brown didn’t want to wait until that point to have his No. 3 center ready.
For that reason, Brown promoted Holmes to Joel Embiid’s backup Saturday, at the depth-chart cost to Amir Johnson. Early in a 116-105 victory over the Orlando Magic, and late, too, the Sixers were rewarded.
The energetic Holmes clocked 21:03, collecting eight rebounds and four points as the Sixers ran a winning streak to seven. Johnson did not play.
“Coach let me know the other day that I would be playing today,” said Holmes, who had not played in three of the previous four games. “So I just had to get ready.”
Before the game, Brown told a story about keeping Steve Kerr ready during a San Antonio playoff run, even though the shooting guard was buried in the rotation. That paid off when circumstances thrust Kerr into a game, and the Spurs rallied for a victory.
The turn to Holmes was an indication that Brown already is readying his roster for postseason play.
“I came into the game knowing I was going to play him,” the coach said. “That’s an example of just trying to keep somebody alive. We understand that there will be times when we need him. When we play him, we see what he brings to the table.”
Holmes, Johnson and Trevor Booker all provide different frontcourt skills. Holmes’ zest was critical Saturday.
“Richaun is a lightning-in-a-bottle type of guy,” Brown said. “He’s a sparkplug. He’s instant-type energy. Going rim to rim, he’s elite. He can provide that type of energy.”
*** Notable as it was that Holmes played early, so too was it that he was on the court late, even as the Magic was shaving a 23-point deficit to nine, with the ball with 1:30 to play. Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot was on the court too, as were T.J. McConnell, Marco Belinelli and Ben Simmons. And they remained there. “I was going to go with those guys,” Brown said. “Some of it was gut feel. Some of it was stubbornness. But we have to grow our bench. We have to give those guys confidence that they can close out games.”
*** The addition of Belinelli provided Brown with the extra shooter he’s wanted for years. However, the veteran’s adjustment into the rotation has been a little choppy.
After providing 11 fourth-quarter points in his first game as a Sixer, Belinelli had just five shots in 25 minutes in a victory in Chicago, going 1-for-5 from three-point range.
Saturday, though, he played 27:04, shot 6-for-12 and supplied 15 points.
“We’re figuring out how to best use him and play him,” Brown said. “And I look at him like I look at J.J. Redick. He’s just inherited J.J.’s called-play package. In some ways, the role that J.J. has, I want to Marco to assume. I want him coming in looking to score and when he is open, for sure, to shoot. He has the ability to put it to the floor and make other people better. Offensively, that is a jolt we need coming off our bench.”
*** Ben Simmons continues to amaze Brown. “You start doing metrics and analytics on how many dribbles it takes for him to get from one end of the floor to the other,” the coach said. “And often times, it is two. On the fly, high outlet, one dribble, two dribbles and he’s inside the college threepoint line, or maybe at the rim. It’s staggering the distance he can cover on limited dribbles.” Two dribbles? Two to the half-court “One,” Simmons said. Such end-to-end speed makes Simmons different … and valuable. Saturday, he had line? 17 points and seven assists.
“Since high school, I knew I was going to come in and push the ball,” he said. “I’m 6-10 and I can pass the ball. I am fast. I am strong. I am quick.”
*** NOTES » A Yahoo.com report indicated that Markelle Fultz received $10,000 from a sports agency while in high school. He did not sign with that agency. Fultz offered no comment Saturday when asked about the allegation. … Embiid, who logged 26:57 and scored 28 points, said he would complete a back-to-back assignment Sunday night at 8 when the Sixers play in Washington.