Devastating injury: Nuggets dealt massive blow in first Summer League game

The Nuggets started their Las Vegas Summer League campaign late on Friday night against the Clippers. The Nuggets fell 88-78 but in these games, the process is definitely more important than the results and there were a lot of positive takeaways.

Julian Strawther put up 25 points and 5 rebounds while pouring in three three-pointers. Hunter Tyson also shined with 15 points and new two-way signing out of Creighton, Trey Alexander stole the show for multiple stretches.

There was a lot to like for the Nuggets and maybe best of all was the two-way play of their first-round draft pick DaRon Holmes II out of Dayton. Holmes did a bit of everything, finishing with 11 points and 7 rebounds. He hit a three, had a steal and a dunk in transition, and made his presence felt the entire time he was on the floor.

DaRon Holmes II suffers torn achilles

But unfortunately, once the game was over, the Nuggets received some terrible news as Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that Holmes suffered a torn right achilles tendon during the game and will be sidelined for the entire 2024-25 NBA season.

This is just about as brutal as it gets for Holmes and the Nuggets. The team traded three 2nd-round picks to move up and take Holmes at 22nd overall on draft night and they were counting on him to play a big role right away. He shined at Dayton and the 6’10” 21-year old was pegged as an instant impact player and someone who could finally fortify the Nuggets depth in the frontcourt.

Nuggets bench in big trouble once again

But now that’s all out the window as Holmes suffered the debilitating injury in his first appearance for Denver. The Nuggets bench was already thin, but now they’ll be stretched even more. Suddenly, the Dario Saric signing looks even more critical. This could mean that Zeke Nnaji and/or DeAndre Jordan are back in the fold for minutes. It also means Peyton Watson will need to step up and play more power forward.

This could also change the team’s plans for their final roster spot. They were thought to be seeking a backup point guard, but now they have holes all over the bench once again. This could also cause the team to tread back into the trade market and see if they can find depth that way.

Either way, it feels like they need to make another move badly now. Holmes was slated to be one of the most important bench players this season and his versatility, being able to play power forward or center was a key selling point to the team. Now they’ll need to wait until next season before seeing that come to fruition. This is as bad as it gets for Summer League.