There has been much speculation about how the Nuggets’ rotations will play out as they suddenly have a roster that can go 10-12 guys deep on any given night. One of the bigger question marks will be redshirt rookie DaRon Holmes, who was drafted last season but missed the entire year with an injury.
According to Keith Smith of Spotrac, a Nuggets coach told him that Holmes is a “Rotation guy from day one.” The coach went on to add that Holmes would have had that role last year if he wasn’t hurt and that he is a beast on both ends who can shoot and take guys off the dribble as a big man.
The Nuggets coach went on to say of Holmes, “Start the Rookie of the Year campaign!”, which is an award Holmes will be eligible for, as he didn’t play a single minute last season. But jokes about awards aside, this is big news in terms of figuring out the puzzle that is the Denver rotation.
If Holmes is in, someone is out
The Nuggets have a pretty clear starting unit with Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Cam Johnson, Aaron Gordon, and Nikola Jokic; those five seem set in stone. Then the team has the three vets they brought in this offseason in Jonas Valanciunas, Bruce Brown, and Tim Hardaway Jr., who all figure to play.
Beyond that, the team has several young players who were in and out of the rotation last season in Peyton Watson, Julian Strawther, and Jalen Pickett. That’s already 11 guys, then there’s Holmes, who will apparently be in the rotation right away. That’s 12 players.
We all expect David Adelman to play a deeper rotation than Michael Malone ever did, but even with this influx of talent, he’s not going to play 12 guys a night.
Who is in trouble?
The most obvious guys on the chopping block are the young guys, Pickett and Strawther. But Strawther showed some promise and at least has a chance to steal minutes from THJ. Pickett may be furthest down the depth chart, but as of right now, he’s the only backup point guard on the roster, making it likely he’ll get regular-season minutes at the very least.
The next wave would be guys like Holmes and Watson. But now that we know Holmes will play, it puts the squeeze on Watson. The team needs his athleticism, energy, and defense, but if the offense doesn’t improve, he may find himself crunched out of minutes.
At this point, I’d say the vets will get the first crack, but the young guys will be hot on their heels to steal minutes. It’s going to be great competition, and ultimately, it’s a good problem to have. But it will be fascinating to see how Adelman and company sort this one out.