Strike 1: “With the 25th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, the Denver Nuggets select DaRon Holmes II, University of Dayton.”
Okay, so that’s not exactly how things are going to go down at the next NBA Draft, but the equation does come out basically the same. In actuality, Holmes was Denver’s first-round draft pick up (arriving via a trade with the Phoenix Suns) in 2024, but missed the entire season after suffering a torn Achilles tendon in his first NBA Summer League action. So since the Nuggets don’t have a first (or second) round pick this summer, the 6-foot-10 Holmes – presuming he’s healthy moving forward – could function as a nice substitute.
Question is, will he be a nice substitute when the next Nuggets season tips off in October of this year? Can DaRon Holmes be a difference maker for the Nuggets bench next season?
It’s an important question right now given Denver’s miserable salary cap situation. At the moment, the math doesn’t add up to the Nuggets being able to improve their roster in any other significant way in time for next season.
A creative new GM, presumably arriving soon, might be able to change the equation. Regardless, he’s going to look at Holmes and hope that a season of rehabbing, watching and even practicing during the past year will have provided a touch of experience and knowledge. Perhaps last year’s first pick can fill a void next season.
Holmes was last seen being helped off the court in Las Vegas after blowing his Achilles tendon early in the Nuggets first game in the Las Vegas summer league. There was excitement when he was selected, and he was seen as a potential back up for Nikola Jokic during his rookie year. Had things gone differently, and Holmes not been injured, it wouldn’t have been out of the question for him to share some minutes with Joker, especially against teams like Oklahoma City and Minnesota, who play a lot of the time with more than one 7-footer on the court.
In college at Dayton, he was a consensus second team All-America selection after being the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year. He’s long and lean, more Chet Holmgren than Jokic, body-wise, but he was a good shot blocker in college and a potential rim protector for a team that desperately needs one.
And he comes with a bargain price tag.
He could be one of the new pieces that a (slightly) new-look Nuggets could benefit from next season.
The Nuggets’ needs are no secret. It all starts with a seasoned, veteran general manager from outside the organization who can clearly and objectively evaluate everything about the current roster and find some creative ways to fix what ails it. Then add in a head coach who can work well in concert with said new GM while pushing the right buttons. A second All-Star scorer to team with Jokic so that opposing teams can’t get away with triple teaming the NBA’s best player. Joker’ passing skills should make every wingman in the league salivate at the idea of playing alongside him.
Another critical element will be a competent, reliable set of reserve players, including Holmes.
The new GM/head coach combo (and yes, David Adelman is and should be a solid candidate) has a lot of work to do. Can Holmes step in and be the additional big man the Nuggets so desperately need against teams like Minnesota and OKC? That has to be one of the first things they evaluate during a crucial summer of decision making.
Strike 1: DaRon Holmes must have an impact on next year’s Nuggets Mile High Sports.
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