Daron Holmes II, one of the best players in the history of Dayton, is officially off to the NBA.
The Denver Nuggets selected Holmes with the No. 22 pick of the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft. The Nuggets traded the Phoenix Suns, who originally had the No. 22 selection, for the No. 28 and No. 56 picks along with two future first-round picks.
Holmes spent the last three years with the Flyers and started in all 102 of his games. Over his collegiate career there, he averaged 17.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks while shooting 58.8% overall.
As a junior this past season, Holmes posted his best statistics yet at 20.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 2.1 blocks. He did so while shooting 54.4% from the field and 38.6% from three.
Holmes earned several conference honors during his time in the Atlantic-10. Holmes started with A-10 Rookie of the Year as a freshman. He also made the A-10 All-Defense Team in every season, including his final year as A-10 Defensive Player of the Year. He was a member of the All A-10 Team in all three years too, with one Second Team and a pair of First Teams, while also being A-10 Player of the Year in ’23-’24.
Holmes’ last season included national recognition too. He was a Consensus Second Team All-American while being on watchlists and a semifinalist for both the Naismith Trophy and Wooden Award as well.
Holmes, a native of Goodyear, Arizona, finished playing high school basketball at AZ Compass Prep. He also appeared for Montverde Academy after starting out at Millennium High School. He was a four-star prospect as the No. 48 overall recruit in the 2021 cycle, which is the highest-ranked recruit to ever sign with Dayton. That pedigree is according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He also rated as the No. 11 PF in the class.
What NBA Draft experts are saying about Daron Holmes II
On3’s James Fletcher III respects the continual growth that Holmes made each season at Dayton. To him, that should only help his projections to land somewhere in the first round of the draft.
“DaRon Holmes continued to add elements to his game every season at Dayton, leaving as one of the most balanced center prospects in the class. The development of a 3-point shot, which he knocked down at 38.6 percent in 2023-24, has paired well with his 3 stocks (steals + blocks) per game. The result was a 123 offensive rating and 94 career defensive rating,” Fletcher wrote. “Holmes is another player who saw his stock go up by backing up performances at Dayton with offseason numbers which impress. He now waits to see how high in the first round he can move as a modern big.”
RotoWire sees Holmes as an impact player down low as well, whether on the defensive end or as a target as a roller. The only question is how his size and mobility will translate to the pros considering they think he’ll play as more of a center than a power forward.
“Holmes is at his best in pick-and-roll situations. He makes an impact as a screener and finisher in those plays, where his mobility is also above average for his size. He doesn’t have the most polished offensive game, and his shooting might be subpar at the next level despite experiencing improvements over his last college season. Still, he has the quickness and athleticism to be an asset near the rim as a lob threat and finisher, something he’ll need to enhance at the next level due to his struggles creating his own shot,” they wrote. “Holmes also can be an asset defensively due to his ability to defend multiple positions. But he won’t be a difference-maker on that end of the court.”
“He projects to play as a center at the next level, and his 6-foot-9 frame makes him undersized at the position,” they wrote. “His positioning on defense also needs some work, and his reactions at the college level were often a bit slow when he wasn’t playing deep near the rim. That will only get worse, given the speed of the NBA game.”
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