DaRon Holmes II was drafted 22nd overall in the 2024 NBA Draft after the Denver Nuggets traded the 28th pick and three 2nd round picks to the Phoenix Suns in order to bring him to the Mile High City. The 6’10” big man from Dayton looked poised to be a part of the rotation for the Nuggets immediately, likely slotting in at the backup power forward spot. Unfortunately, during his first ever NBA game at Summer League, the worst possible scenario happened; a torn Achilles.
Denver Nuggets No. 22 overall pick DaRon Holmes II has suffered a torn right Achilles tendon, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. He’s expected to miss the 2024-25 season. Devastating blow for one of the Nuggets’ promising young pieces. pic.twitter.com/05iQQEAZYV
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 13, 2024
Not only was this devastating due to the immediacy and unexpectedness of the injury, but also because of how well Holmes II was performing in his first ever NBA game. In 26 minutes, before suffering his gruesome non-contact injury, he recorded 11 points, 7 rebounds, and a steal.
Additionally, his three-point shot looked smooth and effective as he nailed all three attempts. Holmes II never sustained a serious injury in three years at Dayton, playing 33+ games every collegiate season, but his first NBA season is now officially over before it ever really started.
Denver will now be forced to turn to other options at the backup power forward spot. Recently signed Dario Saric can plug in some minutes there, but will primarily act as the backup center. Meanwhile DeAndre Jordan will enter the upcoming season at age 36 and is clearly just a reserve option at center. This leaves the Nuggets with four options at backup PF for this upcoming season...
What are the options at backup PF for Denver following the Holmes II injury?
1. Peyton Watson runs it back
Watson is by far the best defensive player that the Nuggets will have off the bench next season and actually played 61% of his minutes at power forward last year. The caveat is that he is better suited to be a small forward long-term instead as it is a more natural position for him. Standing at 6’8” and weighing 200 pounds, he would continue to be undersized as a PF, but his ridiculous 7-foot wingspan and shot blocking ability does help make up for being lighter in stature.
2. Vlatko Cancar returns to form
Another risky, yet realistic option for the backup power forward spot is the 27-year-old Slovenian in Cancar. He showed some very nice flashes of playmaking and floor stretching ability in 2022-2023 and was likely going to be in the rotation last season, before suffering a torn ACL playing for the Slovenian national team last summer. He would bring a more veteran presence to the bench unit, but may also come out slower to start the season as he shakes off the rust.
3. Michael Porter Jr. staggers with the bench
MPJ is a lock to start at SF this season for the Nuggets obviously, and while he did not stagger with the bench unit much last season, it could be a sneaky smart move for Denver in 2024-2025. Last season, Jamal Murray was the primary starter who staggered with the bench, but if Russell Westbrook does indeed find his way into a Nuggets uniform as many reports indicate, Porter Jr. would make way more sense as the staggered starter.
He is 6’10”, a high-level rebounder, and one of the best three-point shooters in the NBA. Giving Westbrook two spacing bigs in Saric and Porter Jr. would open up lanes for him to drive and kick.
4. Zeke Nnaji tries to finally put the pieces together
The final option would be to try the Nnaji experience yet again. In each of the last two seasons, the versatile/switchable big man has started out as the primary backup center behind Nikola Jokic.
It has not worked out great and he fell out of the rotation both years, but perhaps sliding Nnaji to PF rather than C could be a straw worth grasping at. Entering the offseason, there was much talk about whether or not Nnaji would even still be on the Nuggets to start the 2024-2025 season, but after the Holmes II injury, he may find himself with yet another chance.
Only time will tell which option the Nuggets’ coaching staff opts for following the devastating Holmes II news, but one thing is for certain; the road to another championship for Denver just got more difficult.