Providence Basketball: How does Emmitt Holt’s injury affect the Friars?

Providence basketball’s center Emmitt Holt is out for an extended period with an abdominal injury. How will his absence affect the Friars?

On the day before practice officially started, the Providence Friars received some bad news after making it through the off-season unscathed. Senior center Emmitt Holt is out for an indefinite amount of time with an abdominal issue.

Here is Kevin McNamara from the Providence Journal with the details of Holt’s injury:

"Holt, one of five returning starters for the Friars, is not on campus and has been dealing with an abdominal issue for the last few weeks. He’s missed virtually all of the Friars’ September workouts and a date for a healthy return to campus is currently unknown. He will almost certainly not be with the team for the start of the season on Nov. 10 when the Friars host Houston Baptist.A release issued by Providence College Monday stated that “it has not been determined how long Holt will be out of the team’s lineup.”"

Holt is a key piece on this top-25-caliber Providence squad and the Friars should pray that he can recover quickly. The 6’7’’ senior was second on the team in both scoring and rebounding at 12.5 and 5.4 per game, respectively. Holt is a very skilled interior scorer who uses his strength and his array of post moves to throw off his defender. He can also use his quickness to take bigger players off the dribble from the high post.

However, Holt’s most important skill is his ability to stretch the floor. Holt showed off a surprising shooting stroke last season (21 made threes at a 34% clip) and this skill made him a matchup nightmare for opposing centers. He received a ton of open looks from the top of the key out of the pick-and-pop because many centers were uncomfortable defending him on the perimeter.

While Holt technically plays “center,” he is more of a power forward since he is only 6’7’’ and he struggles on the glass against bigger players. This season, it looked like Holt would play his natural position more often since sophomore Kalif Young and freshman Nate Watson should be part of the regular rotation.

However, moving Holt to power forward could actually reduce his effectiveness even though it is his natural position. Holt enjoys a quickness advantage against centers which allows him to get to the basket and to the free throw line, but he will not have the same advantage against forwards. Most power forwards are comfortable guarding the perimeter, which means Holt will also see less open looks from the perimeter.

Defensively, Providence should be a better rebounding team with Holt at the four, but he will have a more difficult time keeping perimeter forwards like Trevon Bluiett and Kelan Martin in front of him. This means Coach Cooley would have to resort to more zone defense even though he prefers man-to-man. In theory, Holt could gain a size and strength advantage over opposing fours, but he will have less space to operate inside since neither Young or Watson are known as floor spacers.

Who Replaces Holt?

In terms of who replaces Holt, the previously mentioned Kalif Young and Nate Watson are the most likely candidates, but Dajour Dickens and Rodney Bullock will also be in the mix.

Young is a sophomore center who flashed immense potential in his first season with the Friars. The 6’9″ Canadian showed his willingness to run the floor and aggressively pursued rebounds out of his area. While Young has good hands, he struggled to finish around the basket and his jump hook was very inconsistent. His free throw shooting was his main weakness, though (37%).

Look for Young to improve offensively, but do not expect him to be a double-figure scorer. Young’s value comes from his defensive ability, rebounding, and fluidity for his size. He averaged 3.2 ppg and 3.2 rpg last season, but 5 points and 5 rebounds per game is certainly attainable this season.

Nate Watson is the second candidate to fill in for Holt. Watson has great size at 6’10’’ and is known as a powerful interior scorer and as a strong rebounder. Providence needs both of these skills, so Watson should see some early playing time, especially with Holt’s injury.

The talented freshman was ranked in the top 100 by Rivals and should be Young’s biggest competition at center. Watson figures to be a better scorer and to have a better touch than Young, which will give Coach Cooley different looks. Young will be more ready defensively while Watson should have the offensive edge.

Freshman Dajour Dickens is the third candidate. The 7-foot freshman has great long-term potential, but he may not be able to compete with opposing big men strength wise at this stage of his career. If Dickens can provide some rim protection and production, Providence’s frontcourt will be in tremendous shape. Anything they get from Dickens as a freshman will be a bonus.

Lastly, Providence could play a small lineup and slide Rodney Bullock to the five. While this lineup will probably be used for short stretches, it lacks the necessary rebounding ability to be used regularly. Do not be surprised if Young wins the center battle, but Watson still sees 15-18 minutes per game with Holt out.

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Emmitt Holt is one of Providence’s best players, but his absence will have a bigger negative impact than most people expect. While Kalif Young and Nate Watson will be suitable replacements, they do not have the offensive skill and floor spacing ability of Holt. The Friars will have to adjust their style of play since they can no longer use five capable shooters at once unless they play Bullock at the five in a super small lineup.

Hopefully, Holt returns to the lineup soon because Providence needs his versatile offensive skill set if they are to reach their maximum potential. Young and Watson are certainly capable players, but they cannot impact the game offensively like Holt can.