3 most important things learned from the Denver Nuggets Summer League campaign
By Ben Handler
With Saturday night’s game in the books, this chapter of Nuggets basketball is officially over. The team beat the Pelicans 91-82, improving their record in the Las Vegas Summer League to 2-3, finishing strong with back-to-back wins.
Summer League really isn’t about wins and losses though, it’s about player development and scouting. It’s essentially an audition for players to fight for starting spots, playing time, roster spots, or even two-way contracts or training camp invites.
For a lot of these players, it can even be a showcase for overseas teams. For players who are on guaranteed contracts, teams are hoping to see guys who stand out and look a step above most of the competition. The Nuggets had several players in that category, and the team was hoping to see big things from them that could earn them positions in the rotation.
DaRon Holmes injury put a major damper on Summer League
The Summer League season got off to an almost tragic start as rookie first-round pick DaRon Holmes II tore his achilles in the first game and has since undergone surgery. The Nuggets had high hopes for the young big man out of Dayton (and still do), but he’ll now miss the entire 2024-25 season, hindering the team’s thin depth even further.
Unfortunately, that was probably the most important thing that happened for the Nuggets at Summer League and it’s obviously not a good thing. But losing a rotation player - especially one with so much promise and potential - for the season is a devastating blow, there’s no other way to put it.
In some ways, that injury made these games even more important, as it highlighted just how badly the Nuggets are going to need major contributions from their young players this season. The team lost several veterans this offseason who were relied on for heavy minutes.
Now the Nuggets are going to be relying mostly on young players to fill those minutes going forward and for many, Summer League was a good chance to show that they are capable of doing so. After five up-and-down games, here are the 5 most important things that the Nuggets and their fans can take away from the 2024 Las Vegas Summer League.