Kings center Richaun Holmes still sidelined with soreness after return to practice
The Kings were hoping to have center Richaun Holmes back for Friday’s game against the Miami Heat, but now they don’t know when he will return.
The team issued a news release before the game to announce Holmes was still not ready to play after missing the previous 14 games with an injury to his right shoulder joint. The Kings said Holmes is experiencing continued soreness after he was “integrated into modified team practice this week, portions of which included contact.”
The Kings said Holmes “will remain on his progression towards full-contact basketball activities” and “his return to game action will be updated as appropriate.”
The Kings signed Holmes to a two-year, $10 million free-agent deal in July. He was brought in to compete for backup minutes but quickly earned the starting job over Dewayne Dedmon, who was traded to the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday. Holmes is averaging career highs of 13.1 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.4 blocked shots and 1.1 steals per game.
The Kings started Harry Giles III on Friday against the Heat, but coach Luke Walton talked about using Nemanja Bjelica and even Harrison Barnes at the center spot in small-ball lineups.
