DaRon Holmes “pretty sure” he will be back on court for Nuggets in Summer League

The Denver Nuggets have been missing a critical bench piece this season as they continue to struggle with the non-Jokic minutes for yet another year. DaRon Holmes, the Nuggets’ first-round draft pick out of Dayton, seemed to be the guy who could possibly crack the code, but he tore his achilles in the 2024 NBA Summer League.

Since suffering the injury, it’s been clear that it is not in the plans for Holmes to return this season, and that getting him back healthy is more important than getting him back as soon as possible. Achilles injuries are one of the most devastating injuries for a basketball player, and the recovery time is generally just under a year for NBA players who suffer this injury.

Holmes has been making great strides in his recovery, and has been seen going through workouts before Nuggets games, sometimes even jumping off the repaired achilles.

DaRon Holmes II getting some work in on the court.

He’s jumping, which I haven’t seen before in any of his workouts.

It’s still a “long shot” that he plays this season. He is obviously out tonight. pic.twitter.com/mA00qNkIoq

— Brendan Vogt (@BrendanVogt) February 21, 2025

It’s been great to see him working out again and getting closer to returning to the player he was at Dayton where he carried the Flyers to the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament last year. The answer of when Nuggets fans could see him on the court again hasn’t been very clear until he spoke about his possible return Friday.

“From what I’m hearing now, I’m pretty sure I will be [playing in the Summer League],” Holmes said. “I don’t know how many games it will be, but I figure I’ll be playing in the Summer League.”

In the one game he played in Las Vegas last summer, Holmes had 11 points and four rebounds while converting on all three of his 3-point attempts. His future looked promising until he went down after 25 minutes of play. The moment sucked the air out of the Nuggets organization as they watched their first-round pick limp off the court.

Last week, Holmes also said that he’s incorporating a wider variety of movements into his workouts as he continues to rehab the achilles, which is a very good sign.

“Moving around… running… jumping. Now it’s just about when the coaches and the training staff feel it’s a comfortable time for me to get back out there,” Holmes said.

The 22-year-old was a force for Dayton last season, averaging just over 20 points per game along with 8.5 rebounds per game. His fit will be interesting in Denver, especially in the non-Jokic minutes, as he seems like he will be a better fit for the team playing the four next to Jokic instead of the five when Jokic on the bench. His skillset and size fit the build of a four more than a five, and as seen with Zeke Nnaji’s recent improvement, forcing players to play the five isn’t the immediate answer to staying afloat without Jokic.

Holmes will continue to be with the team and rehab one day at a time as he progresses on the long road back to playing basketball with no restrictions.

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