The NBA draft is rapidly approaching, now less than a week away. It will get underway on Wednesday, June 26th with the first round where the Denver Nuggets hold the 28th overall pick. There has been much ado about the Nuggets pick and how they can best use it to improve the roster.
The Nuggets have become used to drafting toward the end of the first round of the draft and they’ve been able to do a solid job lately, turning those picks into players like Christian Braun, Peyton Watson, and Julian Strawther.
The Nuggets draft pick is as crucial as ever
This year, the Nuggets’ draft selection may be even more critical as the team is running dangerously low on assets and spending power. They need to nail this pick and make sure they leave the draft with a young player who can help the team in an area of need.
One obvious area of need the Nuggets have to address is the backup center position. The team has floundered for years with Nikola Jokic on the bench and it’s time to address that spot in the rotation once and for all.
Rumors have been flying that the Nuggets are targeting Dayton big man DaRon Holmes with their draft pick. Multiple prominent sites have had Holmes to Denver in mock drafts for months including ESPN, the Ringer, Yahoo, and others.
Nuggets targeting Dayton big man DaRon Holmes
But recently, concern has been expressed that Holmes won’t last until Denver’s pick. Holmes canceled predraft workouts and it was revealed that he had received a draft-day promise, something that was made even more clear when Holmes received an invitation to the green room on draft night - something reserved for likely top picks.
But Jonathan Givony of ESPN, one of the foremost NBA draft experts, offered some promising news for Nuggets fans in his latest mock draft. He predicted Holmes to the Nuggets yet again but also reported that it is widely believed that the Nuggets are the team that has made the promise to Holmes.
DaRon Holmes was asked at the Draft Combine what players he emulates or looks up to: “I like guys like Naz Reid, Al Horford, Nikola Jokic and Aaron Gordon.”
— Harrison Wind (@HarrisonWind) June 20, 2024
Givony even suggested that the Nuggets may trade down to draft Holmes early in the second round for financial reasons. This would be exciting news for the Nuggets as it now seems realistic that they can land their hopeful backup big man of the future.