DaRon Rodrick Holmes II (born August 15, 2002) is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Dayton Flyers.

DaRon Holmes II
Holmes with Dayton in 2022
No. 14 – Denver Nuggets
PositionPower forward
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (2002-08-15) August 15, 2002 (age 22)
Overland Park, Kansas, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegeDayton (2021–2024)
NBA draft2024: 1st round, 22nd overall pick
Selected by the Phoenix Suns
Playing career2024–present
Career history
2024–presentDenver Nuggets
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Early life and high school career

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Holmes grew up in Goodyear, Arizona and initially attended Millennium High School.[1] He was named the Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year after averaging 23.7 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.8 blocks, and 3.1 assists per game as a junior.[2] Holmes transferred to Montverde Academy in Montverde, Florida prior to the start of his senior year.[3] He ultimately moved back to Arizona during his winter break and transferred a second time to AZ Compass Prep School in Chandler, Arizona.[4] Holmes was rated a four-star recruit and committed to playing college basketball for Dayton over offers from Arizona, Marquette, and California.[5]

College career

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Holmes started all 35 of the Dayton Flyers' games as a freshman and led the team with 12.8 points per game and also averaged 6.1 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game.[6] He also set a school record with 81 total blocks in a season.[7] Holmes was named the Atlantic 10 Conference Rookie of the Year, second-team All-Atlantic 10, and to the conference All-Defense team.[8]

Holmes entered his sophomore season on the watch list for the Karl Malone Award.[9] As a sophomore, he averaged 18.4 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game and was named first-team All-Atlantic 10 team.

On April 24, 2023, Holmes declared for the 2023 NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility.[10] He later withdrew from the draft on the day of the deadline and announced that he would return to Dayton for his junior season.[11]

On May 30, 2024, Holmes declared for the 2024 NBA draft.[12] On June 26, he was selected as the 22nd overall pick by the Phoenix Suns, who subsequently traded him to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for the draft rights to Ryan Dunn (No. 28), the draft rights to the 56th pick (which they later traded to the New York Knicks), a 2026 second-round selection and a 2031 second-round selection. As the No. 22 overall pick, he became the fifth Flyer to be an NBA first round draft pick.[13]

Professional career

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Denver Nuggets (2024–present)

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On June 26, 2024, Holmes was selected with the 22nd overall pick by the Phoenix Suns in the 2024 NBA Draft, however, immediately on draft night, he was traded for the 28th and 56th overall picks in the 2024 draft alongside second-round picks in 2026 and 2031[14] and on July 9, he signed with the Nuggets.[15] Three days later, he suffered a torn right Achilles tendon in his Summer League debut, ending his season.[16]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2021–22 Dayton 35 35 30.7 .649 .143 .586 6.1 1.3 .4 2.3 12.8
2022–23 Dayton 34 34 34.3 .590 .316 .669 8.1 1.7 .7 1.9 18.4
2023–24 Dayton 33 33 32.5 .544 .386 .713 8.5 2.6 .9 2.1 20.4
Career 102 102 32.5 .588 .358 .671 7.5 1.9 .7 2.1 17.1

References

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  1. ^ Archdeacon, Tom (December 12, 2021). "Archdeacon: Flyers' fab freshman DaRon Holmes II". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  2. ^ Spears, Justin (March 28, 2020). "UA target DaRon Holmes named Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  3. ^ Obert, Richard (October 24, 2020). "Two-time All-Arizona basketball player DaRon Holmes commits to Dayton". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  4. ^ Obert, Richard (January 5, 2021). "DaRon Holmes transfers from Montverde Academy to AZ Compass Prep". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  5. ^ Jablonski, David (October 24, 2020). "Dayton Flyers land top-40 recruit in class of 2021". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  6. ^ Jablonski, David (July 15, 2022). "Dayton Flyers forward DaRon Holmes adds weight to take his game to the next level". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  7. ^ Obert, Richard (January 31, 2022). "DaRon Holmes breaks Dayton blocked shots record". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  8. ^ Hamilton, Brian (October 21, 2022). "How Dayton, led by Anthony Grant and DaRon Holmes, are building on success". The Athletic. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  9. ^ Jablonski, David (October 27, 2022). "Dayton's Holmes named to watch list for national award". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  10. ^ Kalbrosky, Bryan (April 24, 2023). "Dayton center DaRon Holmes quietly declared for NBA draft while maintaining NCAA eligibility". USA Today. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  11. ^ Jablonski, David (May 31, 2023). "Holmes will return to Dayton after withdrawing from NBA Draft". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  12. ^ MBB All-American DaRon Holmes II Declares For The NBA Draft
  13. ^ DaRon Holmes II Selected By The Phoenix Suns In The NBA Draft, Traded To Denver Nuggets
  14. ^ "Nuggets get DaRon Holmes II from Suns for Ryan Dunn, future picks". NBA.com. June 27, 2024. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  15. ^ "NUGGETS SIGN DARON HOLMES II". NBA.com. July 9, 2024. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  16. ^ Adams, Luke (July 13, 2024). "Nuggets Rookie DaRon Holmes Tears Right Achilles". HoopsRumors.com. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
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