DaRon Holmes may not be the most eye-catching prospect in the 2024 NBA Draft, but Denver Nuggets fans hope that the man will be able to provide some much-needed reinforcement to a position that lacks size and defensive prowess.
The 6’10” forward is coming into a great situation where he doesn’t have the pressure to be effective right away. He’ll be playing behind one of the most impressive power forwards in Aaron Gordon, and he will be able to pick up a thing or two by watching Nikola Jokic up close.
Moreover, the team is constantly looking for ways to improve the squad. The team has been linked with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to provide three-point shooting, and the team is also being linked with shipping Michael Porter Jr. away for a more reliable player at the three.
With Holmes coming into such an ideal situation, one analyst describes how the Dalton product will be an effective piece on Mike Malone’s offensive and defensive schemes.
Daron Holmes is expected to become a starting power forward for the Denver Nuggets
The Denver Post’s Bennett Durando explains that DaRon Holmes has the potential to become a starting-caliber four for the Nuggets as his frame and skillset makes him the perfect prototypical big in the modern game.
He elaborated on how his height would work with what Malone wants to do with the team:
Holmes is a player whose shape-shifting ability could position him to play right away. At 6-foot-9 without shoes, he occupies the awkward space between a power forward and small-ball center. Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth outlined a future this week in which Holmes can eventually start as a four. It’s certainly easy to envision him defensively in lineups next to Nikola Jokic, who plays higher up the floor against ball screens than most centers. Holmes was an elite college rim protector and help defender who could rotate across the paint to anchor Denver behind the less vertically gifted Jokic.
He also emphasized that Holmes’ value greatly improved as a player after he developed his three-point shooting in college. In his final year at Dalton, he made 38.5% of his long-range shot attempts, showing that there’s room to grow once he formally makes the jump to the pros.
The Denver Nuggets is the best place for a player for Holmes’ quality to grow. It’s now up to him to prove his doubters wrong and put up a respectable rookie campaign.
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