No one had a worse 2024 NBA Summer League than DaRon Holmes.
The Denver Nuggets' first-round center tore his Achilles in his first appearance, resulting in an entirely missed season.
The big fella from Dayton is back now, though, and ready to show he belongs in a frontcourt mix that includes Nikola Jokic and (probably) Jonas Valanciunas.
"The stretch big from Dayton has a chance to make an impact as a change-of-pace center or big forward if he can regain the form that made him a late first-round pick in 2024, especially because the Nuggets are starved for both shooting and frontcourt quality," writes The Athletic's John Hollinger.
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If Valanciunas actually leaves for a contract in Greece, Holmes becomes that much more important immediately.
But if not, he'll have a good learning opportunity behind the two veteran European big men. And because Holmes can shoot it a bit, he could conceptually be on the floor with another big at times.
His chances of playing time all began in Las Vegas at 2025 Summer League, though. Clearly, Holmes would like to stay healthy. He'd also love to prove he belongs in the Nuggets' rotation.
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