Nuggets trade up, select Dayton’s DaRon Holmes with 22nd overall pick in NBA draft – Loveland Reporter-Herald

DaRon Holmes II (R) shakes hands with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver (L) after being drafted 22nd overall by the Phoenix Suns during the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft at Barclays Center on June 26, 2024 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City . NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that by downloading and/or using this photo, user agrees to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

The Nuggets’ continued pursuit of frontcourt help for Nikola Jokic inspired general manager Calvin Booth to jump six spots in the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft for a prospect he’s determined can be part of the solution.

Denver moved up from No. 28 to acquire the 22nd overall pick from Phoenix on Wednesday night, selecting Dayton big man DaRon Holmes II, the team announced. The Nuggets dealt both of their 2024 draft picks (Nos. 28 and 56) plus two future second-rounders to make the move.

They viewed these future picks as the small sacrifice for a prospect that Booth had felt strongly about during the pre-draft process, and they traded up because they expected other teams to pursue Holmes in the 2020s, including former executive Tim Connelly and the Timberwolves at No. 27, league sources told The Denver Post. Booth hinted at that at a press conference on Wednesday, saying: “There were a lot of potential landmines between 22 and our pick, especially since we had a division rival in front of us who probably likes the guy too.”

Holmes, who turns 22 in August, canceled multiple workouts with other teams and was linked to Denver from the beginning of the pre-draft process, with rumors of a commitment coming from the Nuggets’ front office. The 6-foot-1, 236-pound center averaged 20.4 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists in his third and final season of college basketball, winning Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year . He led the nation in scoring as a roll man and improved his 3-point shooting (38.6%) to become a dangerous pick-and-pop weapon. Booth said the wide base and consistent release in Holmes’ shooting form is reminiscent of Al Horford.

“There wasn’t necessarily a promise,” Booth said, “but once we got into our 20s and there was a chance to get him, we kind of wanted to go get our guy.”

The Nuggets have lacked versatility and rim protection in their frontcourt, and Holmes could immediately provide that trait as a potential plug-and-play backup for Jokic. He averaged 2.1 blocks per game during his three seasons at Dayton, and he generated easy offense as a dunk threat.

But despite being projected wide as a small five, Booth sees Holmes as a starting four in the NBA long term. “I think the competition has become a little more physical,” he said. “They allow a little more contact on closeouts. And the more you start to see that – we saw it in the Minnesota series, it’s a very physical game – in that NBA style, I think he’s a four all day.

With the trade not made official until after the first round was completed, Holmes posed with NBA commissioner Adam Silver while wearing a Suns hat on stage in Brooklyn as the Nuggets technically called up Virginia’s Ryan Dunn for Phoenix to finalize the deal rounds.

“I don’t think all rookies are created equal,” Booth said. “I think you have 18- or 19-year-old guys who may or may not have more advantages. And then you’ve got some other guys who are talented, who do a lot and for all intents and purposes are maybe more ready for high-pressure NBA games than some of the guys on NBA rosters who have been in the league for two or three years . In that sense, I think DaRon is one of those guys. Has a high IQ. Knows how to play in different styles and different scenarios. I think he has a great chance of becoming a plug-and-play guy.”

In the first year of a new two-day draft format, there was only one selection to evaluate, unlike last year when the Nuggets took three players in a nine-pick bracket on the same night: Julian Strawther, Jalen Pickett and Hunter Tyson .

They no longer have a second-round draft pick on Thursday (2 p.m. MT, ESPN). Booth said Denver will monitor the second round on Thursday, but he doesn’t expect the team to take a step back in the remainder of this draft.

This was Booth’s third draft and seventh pick since Connelly left Denver for Minnesota in 2022. Five of the previous six are still on the roster, including 2022 selections Christian Braun and Peyton Watson. Under both regimes, the Nuggets committed to building through the draft. Replenishing the bench with homegrown prospects has become especially crucial since Booth took over due to the 2023 collective bargaining agreement, which is trickier to deal with for competing teams.

For a front office just beginning to deal with these new challenges, Wednesday’s draft was a pivotal moment. The Nuggets left Ball Arena at the end of the night feeling like they had gotten a bargain.

“I think the leap he made in skill and 3-point shot (last season) took him to another level of a prospect,” Booth said of Holmes. “I just like guys who have to carry the load for their team, and (Dayton) won a lot. He played a lot of different defenses trying to take him down. … I think his defense will be better at this level.”

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Meet DaRon Holmes

Round/harvest: 1st/no. 22

Age: 21

Length weight: 6-foot-9/236 pounds

Secondary school: Dayton

Residence: Goodyear, Ariz.

remarkable: Holmes was an Atlantic 10 All-Defense selection all three years in college. He was named the conference’s co-Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year last season after averaging 20.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.1 blocks per game while Shot 54.4% from the field. He was also a consensus All-American for the Flyers.

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