If DaRon Holmes calls you a legend, don’t be flattered.
It is not personal. It is simply Holmes’s all-encompassing expression, his hello and goodbye. He started in high school. By the time he finished university, he had practically a comprehensive attitude towards life.
“Every time I saw you, every time you did something, I said, ‘You’re a legend.’ You are a legend. You’re a legend,’” Dayton assistant basketball coach Ricardo Greer said, laughing. “In the end I thought, that’s the last ‘legend’ you’ll call me.”
“All my friends call us kings and legends,” Holmes explained. “… So I always tell everyone, ‘You’re a legend.’ And the first time I say it, people get all excited and say, ‘Thanks, man!’ And after a couple of times, they’re like, ‘Call everyone that.’”
Denver’s newest rookie has a friendly disposition that goes hand-in-hand with his versatile basketball skill set, traits that won over the Nuggets in equal measure this spring during the pre-Draft process. On Wednesday, they traded up six spots in the first round to select Holmes 22nd overall, their latest bid for non-lottery youngsters as a viable asset capable of contributing to championships.
Holmes is a player whose shape-shifting ability could position him to play right away. At 6-foot-9 without shoes, he occupies the awkward space between a power forward and a small-play center. Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth outlined a future in which Holmes could eventually start at the four. It’s certainly easy to envision him defensively in lineups alongside Nikola Jokic, who plays higher up the floor against ball screens than most centers. Holmes was an elite rim protector in college and a help defender who could rotate around the paint to anchor Denver behind the less vertically gifted Jokic.
For now, he seems just as suited to spreading the floor as he is to playing center, which could help breathe new life into Denver’s second unit. Dayton played a lot with Holmes last season, even entrusting him with the task of carrying the ball and starting the offense.
“I definitely see (playing the four) in the future, especially with the way the game is right now,” Holmes said. “You look at the Grizzlies. They just got Zach Edey. They’ll probably play him and JJ (Jaren Jackson Jr.) together. I think that’s perfectly fine for me. The small-ball five will be good at times. I don’t think that’s a permanent thing for me. I probably won’t start at five if I’m going to be a starter (someday).”
Holmes grew up primarily in the Phoenix area. His mother coached him on the YMCA basketball team, but he wasn’t immediately drawn to basketball as a dream career. He also enjoyed playing soccer.
Holmes’ main goal was to travel the world. He then began to develop talents in basketball and, as he put it, “I discovered that I could make money playing this game. After I discovered that, I thought, ‘I have to train as hard as I can.'”
Dayton forward DaRon Holmes II stands courtside during an NCAA college basketball game against Davidson, Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024, in Dayton, Ohio. (KeynoteUSA Photo/Aaron Doster)
Holmes transferred twice in high school, going from Arizona to Florida and back, before becoming the highest-ranked high school recruit to sign with the Flyers.
His potential as a pro prospect was unleashed last season when he began making 3-pointers. In his first two years in Dayton, Holmes shot 27 percent from 3. As a junior, he hit 38.6 percent with a wide-base performance that Booth compared to Al Horford.
Behind that improvement was a commitment to coaching that Denver loves to see in its draft targets.
“We did the same exercise every night. And this was the first year that I can really say I was in the gym, almost every day, and making a lot of shots,” Holmes said. “I also asked my coaches about the little details I can fix in my shot.”
His standard regimen lasted between an hour and 90 minutes, usually after practice or the night before a game. He started with 10 shots from each of five spots around the perimeter. Then a star drill. Then the same pair of drills, repeated at the other end (but first, free throws in the middle). Then another drill in which he gradually slid his feet along the perimeter between each attempt, covering every inch of the arc until he had taken 50 shots from corner to corner.
Then he went back the way he came. Another 50.
Then more free throws.
Then shots from specific sets, like pick-and-pop, game-speed threes.
“My freshman and sophomore year, it was mostly the big guys in zone coverage,” Holmes recalled. “I didn’t even notice it, because my mind was thinking, ‘Catch. Swing. What am I supposed to do next?’ … I was just trying to make sure I was doing everything right, which is good. You have to do a lot of things right. And then we watch the film.”
Dayton forward DaRon Holmes II (15) dribbles the ball against St. Bonaventure center Noel Brown (20) during an NCAA college basketball game, Friday, Feb. 2, 2024, in Dayton, Ohio. (KeynoteUSA Photo/Aaron Doster)
Holmes recalls head coach Anthony Grant bringing him into his office, along with Greer, to show him how an improved shot could change the dimensions of Dayton’s offense. “I literally need to see how it can affect winning if I can put that on the table,” Holmes said. “So they showed me how if I can make that shot, it’s going to make the big shot. And if the big shot is made, you have a lot of other options.”
As he spent more time in the gym, his confidence grew. That was the story of Holmes’ evolution as a shooter, but also of his entire development throughout college, from Greer’s perspective.
“The first year, I don’t think I heard him swear once,” Greer said. “He’d get mad and say, ‘Damn,’ or ‘Yeah.’”
At first, he was afraid of imperfection. Dayton allowed him to play through the mistakes and misalignments, and he gradually learned to overcome them.
Growing pains are the pivotal moments that resonate with Holmes now. Early in his rookie season, Lipscomb’s 275-pound center had 21 points, eight rebounds and three blocks against him. Dayton lost by 19. A week later, he was the top contender against Belmont senior Nick Muszynski (245 pounds). Dayton escaped with a two-point win, but Holmes was again demolished inside.
“He was moving people with his arms,” Holmes said. “I’ll never forget, he had a play where he caught the ball on the right block and I was trying to get past him. And one of my teammates came to help me, and he literally had this arm right here and he moved both of us. He threw a hook shot.
“I was a freshman and I was like, ‘I don’t know if I’m cut out for this.’ But all those moments really helped me. Because I watched the movie again and realized that this is how those situations are handled.”
Over time, he learned to rely on his IQ and talent. Greer began to notice that he was swearing more and calling people “legends” more often, signs that Holmes was becoming more comfortable with himself.
His rookie NBA season might feel like a reboot of his first year, but Holmes wanted the chance to experience that in Denver, where he can watch “one of the greatest big men of all time.” He knew the Nuggets were especially interested in him during the pre-draft process, though he says he wasn’t sure if that interest was great enough to be a full-fledged prospect.
“I’m here to have fun. I’m here to win. I’m here to get better,” Holmes said. “And if (people) see me (in Denver), don’t be afraid to come up to me and tell me how it is. I’m very calm, laid back. I’m not the type of athlete that says, ‘Oh, I can’t talk to you.’ That doesn’t apply to me. My family taught me to be respectful to everyone.”
Dayton forward DaRon Holmes II (15) dunks the ball during an NCAA college basketball game against St. Bonaventure, Friday, Feb. 2, 2024, in Dayton, Ohio. (KeynoteUSA Photo/Aaron Doster)
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