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Richard Solomon: The D-League’s next breakout star you need to know

By Chris Reichert

January 26, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; California Golden Bears forward Richard Solomon (35) dunks to score a basket against the UCLA Bruins during the first half at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
January 26, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; California Golden Bears forward Richard Solomon (35) dunks to score a basket against the UCLA Bruins during the first half at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /

Richard Solomon’s rookie season didn’t go as planned. After four years at the University of California, where he peaked as a senior with averages of 11 points, 10.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per contest, he went undrafted in the 2014 NBA Draft. He still earned an invite from the Thunder for their preseason training camp, but spent the entire 2014-15 campaign in the D-League with the Oklahoma City Blue after being waived.

While spending a season in the D-League improving your craft isn’t inherently bad, playing only 18 minutes a night for your club isn’t ideal.

Solomon played in 28 games over the course of the season, averaging 8.5 points and 6.9 rebounds in only 18 minutes per night — decent numbers considering the limited playing time that he received. But when you hash out his numbers for more playing time, they are pretty dang impressive:

  • Per 100 Possessions: 22.6 points, 18.3 rebounds, 1.4 blocks
  • Per 36 Minutes: 17 points, 13.8 rebounds, 1.1 blocks

It’s always dangerous to try and project what a player’s output might be with increased playing time, nonetheless, those are encouraging numbers. Another eye-popping stat: Solomon’s rebounding rate, which comes in at a steady 20.3 percent — meaning he grabs 20.3 percent of the available rebounds when he’s on the floor. Of players that played at least 10 games in the D-League last season, Solomon ranks 7th in overall rebound percentage, beating out the likes of Ognjen Kuzmic, Willie Reed, Shawn Jones and even Clint Capela.

Solomon managed four double-doubles in the 2014-15 season, but had eight double-digit rebounding games, four of which he played less than 20 minutes. As I sift through the video from last season, it’s clear to see that Solomon can rebound at an NBA level.

His offensive game — while less pronounced — also shows some polish. He is able to finish with either hand with an array of hook shots, up-and-under moves and he finishes strong with thunderous dunks once he’s in the clear. He displays a soft touch around the rim, leaving room to believe that an offensive repertoire can certainly be developed. He’s not a guy that’s going to step out and knock down 18-footers, though, as almost all of his damage is done in the paint. He shot a blistering 62 percent from the floor last season because he didn’t stray from this strength.

Richard Solomon's shot chart for the 2014-15 season
Richard Solomon’s shot chart for the 2014-15 season /

Now for the elephant in the room — why did he only play 18 minutes per night?

The reason why is twofold. First: The Blue head coach, Mark Daigneault, ran a three man rotation in the front court between Talib Zanna (27.7 minutes), Maurice Sutton (22.8) and Solomon (18). The only players on the entire team who averaged more than 30 minutes a night were guards (and Josh Huestis) so it was a clear philosophical strategy by Daigneault.

The other issue, which is more glaring, is that Solomon had problems with foul trouble all season long. He had 13 games with at least four fouls and there was even one instance where he fouled out in just 15 minutes. Most post players get into foul trouble contesting shots, but what stood out when watching video is that the majority of Solomon’s fouls were from reach-ins or simply not moving his feet. When Solomon does contest shots, he does a pretty good job of either fouling hard so players can’t finish or avoiding contact altogether.

Foul trouble is an easy fix in the sense that it’s a discipline issue. Solomon has to make the conscious decision not to reach in and he will get closer to 27-30 minutes a night and produce at a much higher rate. Solomon is quicker than most of the guys he guarded last season, so he had the ability to poke some balls free, but more often than not it led to a foul instead of a steal or deflection.

Solomon just turned 23-years-old and history shows that post players generally take a little longer to fully develop, so more production is certainly going to come. He has all the skills and tools to be a productive rim-running big man for a long, long time.

This summer, Solomon will get another shot to impress the Thunder brass by attending Summer League with the club in Orlando from July 4-10th. Stay tuned.

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