Howard impressed by Holmes’ growth, passion

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Brandon Apter, Sports Talk Philly editor  

The Philadelphia 76ers only dressed eight players in last night's 99-92 loss to the Hawks at home, but there were still some positives, most notably the performance of Richaun Holmes. At the beginning of the year, Holmes was the forgotten center, but with injuries and trades, he has been pushed into a starting role as of late and he's excelling in that role. On Wednesday night against Atlanta, Holmes put up a career-high 25 point to go along with eight rebounds and a blocked shot. His performance got some recognition from Hawks center Dwight Howard, who remembers Holmes the first time they played each other.

"He's a kid that I remember the first time he stepped on the court with me, he was just like excited," Howard said. "He kept saying, 'Wow, I’m on the floor with Dwight Howard.' He just kept saying he was excited. Just to see his growth from that moment, he plays with such passion, it's great to see especially from a young guy like him. I'm proud of him." [CSNPhilly.com]

Sixers fans should be proud of his play as well. Holmes was the fourth center to start the season, spent time in the D-League and hasn't lost any of his energy through it all. Since the Nerlens Noel trade, Holmes has gotten plenty of chances to start and he's put up good numbers as the primary center. In 10 starts this season, he's averaging 14.0 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. 

If you missed it, here is Richaun's highlight reel from Wednesday, when he scored a career-high 25 points.

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