The NBA Draft is fast approaching and with no clear-cut top-end talent in it, there are some steady risers on front-office boards. One of them just so happens to be an NBA Draft target of the Denver Nuggets. He goes by the name of DaRon Holmes II and he has been phenomenal with the Dayton basketball squad. The Minnesota Timberwolves are also in the running to acquire him as well due to their situation with Kyle Anderson.
DaRon Holmes II is projected to go higher than 28th in the NBA Draft, per HoopsHype. This is bad news for the Nuggets fans. They have no other picks in the first round and will have to give up a lot of assets to notch the Dayton basketball star.
Holmes was reportedly promised by the Nuggets front office that they would pick him up in the NBA Draft. As a result, he did not go back to Dayton during the withdrawal deadline. Moreover, he also allegedly canceled six workouts with other squads due to that assumption. Apparently, there is not much truth to these reports which ran rampant throughout the media world prior to the NBA Draft.
The Nuggets can still pick him up if he does fall down that low. However, a looming competitor presented itself with the Timberwolves. Chris Finch and their front office have a significant interest in acquiring him. They have the 27th overall pick and have good reason to acquire the prospect out of Dayton.
The Timberwolves are concerned with the luxury tax that they will incur with Kyle Anderson on their squad. If he does decide to walk and test free agency, Holmes would be the solution to their gaping hole at forward. He is nimble and also able to produce the same way that Anderson has for the Timberwolves. There might be some growing pains at the start of his stint but that could be a risk that they are willing to stomach if it means that the front office gets more financial flexibility.
How good is this NBA Draft prospect that the Nuggets and Timberwolves want to acquire?
Holmes is not at all a slouch and is one of the better forwards in this draft class. His accolades actually speak for himself because he notched consensus All-American honors, a three-time All-A10 team selection, an A-10 tournament Most Valuable Player, and an A-10 Defensive Player of the Year.
If that is not enough to convince front offices in the NBA Draft, he averaged 20.1 points on a 54.4% clip from all three levels of scoring in his junior year. Not to mention, his shot from outside also saw the bottom of the net 38.6% of the time. Scoring is not his only strong suit. He was able to grab an insane 8.5 rebounds in his last year with Dayton.
Another staple of his game is the rim protection that he brings. Holmes averaged a massive 2.1 blocks in the recently concluded college basketball season. The 6-foot-10 forward can surely chase an opponent down or learn the intricacies of their shot mechanics such that he meets them at the apex.
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