The Nuggets are in big trouble with their injury situation; there’s no way to sugarcoat it. But when positive has already come out of the extra opportunities, and that’s DaRon Holmes looking like a legit NBA rotation player. Fans have been begging to see Holmes get a chance, and finally, after the latest injury to Nikola Jokic, they got their wish.
Holmes was a key part of the rotation on Wednesday night and was thrust into crunch-time action after yet another injury, this time to Jonas Valanciunas. Holmes is definitely still raw, but he also definitely belongs in the league. He tallied 11 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, and a block, shooting 4-5 from the floor and helping the shorthanded Nuggets steal a 106-103 win in Toronto.
He brought great energy on both ends and popped with his athleticism. He’s a true floor-stretcher as he hit 2-3 three-pointers, and he made his mark on defense, chasing guys around and also protecting the rim. This team has been dying for a true stretch-big, a guy who can protect the rim and switch on defense, while being a threat to pick and pop or roll on offense.
Holmes can do all that and a bit more, and he looked incredibly comfortable and impressive for a guy playing his first real NBA minutes. There will undoubtedly be some growing pains. Holmes was far from perfect, and he missed a couple of key box-outs down the stretch that almost proved costly.
But there were far more pros than cons with his play, and for the first time in the rotation, he passed the test with flying colors. If anything, it begs the question, why did it take this long and this many injuries to give DaRon a shot?
Holmes should be part of Denver rotation going forward
His combination of size, speed, athleticism, and ball skills is unlike anything that anyone else on the team can offer, and his abilities are difference-making. Thanks to injuries, he’s going to get extended run here, but this looks like it could be something that sticks even when the team is fully healthy.
Holmes brings a much-needed dimension to the team and can be a real X-Factor with his unique abilities. We’ll see how he performs over the next month or so, when he should get a lot of minutes in the frontcourt, possibly even starting, depending on Big Val’s injury.
More importantly, this could be a long-term addition that should make this Nuggets team even more dynamic. Holmes should be able to play alongside Jokic and should be a Swiss Army Knife of sorts, offering another weapon for David Adelman to play with.
Sadly, it took a bunch of devastating injuries to starters for Holmes to get his shot, but this would be more than a great silver lining if he keeps looking like this and can stick in the Denver rotation for years to come.