Former Flyer Holmes gets first chance to play extended minutes with Nuggets

In the previous game Monday, Holmes made 4 of 4 free throws and scored four points in eight minutes in a 147-123 loss to the Miami Heat.

An injury to Nuggets star Nikola Jokic opened the door for Holmes to earn more playing time. Jokic hurt his knee Monday and is expected to miss about a month.

Holmes told AltitudeTV on Wednesday he stayed ready for this opportunity.

“Our coaches here do a good job of making sure that we practice all the things that we would expect to see in the game,“ he said, ”and that’s all I did. Just go out there and do what I was taught."

The No. 22 overall pick in the 2024 draft, Holmes missed what would have been his rookie season with a torn Achilles tendon. He suffered the injury in his first NBA Summer League game in 2024.

Holmes returned to action in the Summer League in 2025. He made his NBA debut with the Nuggets in October and made his only field-goal attempt, a 3-pointer with 1:21 to play.

Holmes appeared in two games early in the season with the Nuggets before reporting to their NBA G League affiliate in Michigan, the Grand Rapids Gold. He has spent most of the season with them, averaging 19 points in 13 games.

Holmes returned to the Nuggets on Dec. 23 but did not see action in three games before getting a chance in the last two games.

Holmes spoke to HoopsHype.com earlier this season about his progress in the G League.

“The GMs are telling me I’m doing a great job,” he said. “I haven’t really heard from our coaches at all, but the GMs are telling me I’m doing well, staying the course and doing the right thing. So hopefully the coaching staff can trust me and see how I’m playing. Hopefully, I’m able to get opportunities sometime soon."

Holmes will play his first NBA game in Ohio on Friday. The Nuggets play the Cleveland Cavaliers at 7:30 p.m. in the fourth game of a seven-game road trip.