With four minutes remaining in his NBA Summer League debut, DaRon Holmes II suffered a devasting lower body injury that will sideline him for the 2024-25 season. The former Dayton star was selected by the Denver Nuggets with the 22nd overall pick in this year’s draft, but he’ll have to wait until 2025-26 to suit up for the Nuggets in the regular season.
As Holmes was preparing to deflect a pass on the left block, he landed awkwardly on his right leg and had no choice but to exit the contest. Shams Charania, who is the lead NBA insider for the Athletic and Stadium, later reported that Holmes tore his Achilles tendon and would miss his entire rookie season as a result.
In 26 minutes of action, Holmes contributed 11 points and seven rebounds for the Nuggets in an 88-78 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers last Friday. As a junior at Dayton in 2023-24, Holmes averaged 20.4 points and 8.5 rebounds on an NCAA Tournament worthy Flyers squad. He also morphed into a legitimate stretch big who could torch opponents with his three-point jumper, as he shot a career-best 38.6 percent from three on the year (ranked 3rd on the team). Yes, it’s unfortunate that Holmes won’t get an opportunity to crack the Nuggets’ rotation this upcoming season, but I still believe that Michael Malone and company are still excited to see what the future holds for the NBA-ready big man.
