LAS VEGAS — DaRon Holmes II was speaking for everyone who’s ever played a Summer League game when he urged critics to practice patience this weekend. But the comment applies to his own current circumstance, especially.
“I always see people that are like, ‘Hey, this guy didn’t play well! This guy didn’t!’ It’s Summer League,” Holmes said. “Not even just for me; for all the other athletes out here playing. A lot of the rooks. They’re getting used to it. So it just takes some time. It’s like when you’re first playing when you’re a freshman going into college. That’s how it feels.”
Two games in, the results have been understandably mixed for Denver’s 2024 first-round draft pick, who missed last season with a torn Achilles tendon. Holmes was one of the most dynamic players on the floor in his return from the injury on Thursday, amassing 15 points and four rebounds with a 6-for-9 shooting performance. He started the night tentatively, then settled into an aggressive groove, testing his face-up game, scoring timely buckets at multiple levels and blocking a shot with impressive timing.
But this was never going to be a linear progression. Holmes is trying to conquer one of the most challenging injuries in the sport. The speed and physicality of Minnesota’s more potent Summer League roster caught up with him a bit on Saturday. He struggled on box-outs, didn’t seem as comfortable putting the ball on the floor and moved awkwardly at times.
When he knocked down a 3-pointer from the wing at one point, he didn’t get back on defense quickly enough and the Wolves capitalized with a quick outlet on his side of the floor, leading to a basket.
As Holmes said himself this week, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” He finished with eight points and six rebounds in a loss to the Timberwolves.
“They’ve got a really big team over there, so that was a good challenge for him with physicality,” Nuggets Summer League coach Andrew Munson said. “And also being aggressive, being shot-ready. He’s one of the best shooters in this whole Summer League, so we want to make sure when he’s open, he’s got to shoot it.”
The best news for Denver so far is that Holmes is off to a 5-for-10 start outside the arc. His shooting mechanics haven’t looked rushed during their reintroduction to game speed, after 12 months of mostly empty gymnasiums.
The Dayton alum has shown signs that he’ll be a solid pick-and-pop threat who can make smart reads based on how he’s guarded. He hasn’t been used much as a roll man yet.
“(I’m) making sure I also (play aggressively) within the system,” Holmes said. “I try to do what I would do when I’m playing with the guys on the roster during the year. I want to play the right way, and Coach Munson preaches that. So finding good shots for me and also creating good shots for my teammates and playing hard defense, if I can do those things, I think we’ll do pretty well.”
As the gradual process of reestablishing those abilities continues, Holmes is also cognizant of the simple fact that it feels good to be playing basketball again.
“I’ve gotta look at the blessings,” as he said on Thursday. “I didn’t get injured this game, so that’s a positive.”
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