Dallas Mavericks: Who to Draft Instead of Justin Anderson?

Richaun Holmes

In Philadelphia’s infamous “Process,” the Sixers have accumulated one of the most enviable collections of young talent in the league. While the likes of Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid get a lot of the national attention, Philly has several prospects that often get overlooked. One of those prospects is a 2nd round pick from Bowling Green named Richaun Holmes.

Though he didn’t play much his freshman season, Holmes took advantage of his bump in playing time during his second campaign. In about twenty minutes a game, Holmes put up nearly 10 points, while shooting 55% from the floor. He even displayed a steady 3-point stroke, hitting 35.1% in 2016-17.

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But his increased production after the All-Star Break is what makes him tantalizing, averaging 13.6 points a game on a superb 58% clip; because we all know Philly is in desperate need of another talented player over the height of 6-10. Possessing a smooth shooting touch for big, Holmes could space the floor while setting tough screens. Think of him as a rich man’s Dwight Powell.

 Although the Mavs were desperate for wing help after losing the Rondo trade and dealing with Chandler Parsons’ Jenga-tower knee, Richaun Holmes could have been an impactful forward and possibly prevented the Mavs from giving Powell his sizable contract last summer.

While it’s hard not to be regretful over some of the Mavericks’ draft decisions in recent years, you can’t argue with their ability to improve through trade. They turned a broken down Andrew Bogut and peaked-at-22 Justin Anderson into the answer at the center position.

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Mavericks fans are hoping that history doesn’t show it’s face at this year’s draft as the team will have their highest pick since Seinfeld was still on the air. With all these other choices, it makes you wonder what the team would look like if any of these players were in a Dallas uniform today.