The hype around DaRon Holmes has been a roller coaster ever since he was drafted. The Nuggets traded up to draft him last year, hoping he would immediately fortify their frontcourt, but he tore his achilles in game one of summer league.
He rehabbed and came back for summer league this year, playing well, but with all of the team’s offseason additions, Holmes quickly became an afterthought, on the outside of the rotation, looking in.
He has been playing for the Grand Rapids Gold of the G-League and tearing it up, putting up 27 points, 12 rebounds, and 7 assists in the team’s most recent game. It’s understandable that, as a rookie recovering from major surgery, Holmes would need some time to get up to speed and earn real minutes in Denver.
But with him looking good, and Christian Braun, Aaron Gordon, and Julian Strawther already dealing with injuries, there’s an opportunity to carve out a role. It’s time for the Nuggets to give him a shot and give up on the Zeke Nnaji experiment.
Holmes should be playing over Nnaji
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At this point, the Nuggets have already had to reach deep into their bench, giving steady minutes to Spencer Jones and Zeke Nnaji recently. Jones has played well, but he’s mostly a defensive stopper and is currently on a two-way deal, meaning he can’t play in more than 50 games unless Denver converts his contract.
Giving Jones a chance has seemed like a worthy endeavor, but continuing to play Nnaji is a bit baffling. He has proven that he’s not a viable NBA rotation player despite his contract, and the team’s refusal to accept that is beyond frustrating.
It’s even worse now that they have a bona fide option dominating the G League. It was one thing last season when the team had a depleted bench and no real backup options, but now they have a plethora of options, and with a stacked top of the Western Conference, these regular-season games are very important.
The Nuggets have nothing to lose by giving those minutes to Holmes, and frankly, they have a lot to gain. The sad reality is that Nnaji represents nothing more than a contract to hopefully be dealt. The faster the team realizes that and decides to lean into the youngster, Holmes, the better.