Dayton basketball: DaRon Holmes II, former Flyers, makes NBA debut for Denver Nuggets

Former Dayton Flyers forward DaRon Holmes II received a game ball from Denver Nuggets coach David Adelman after making his NBA debut Saturday night.

“It’s hard to get to this level,” Adelman told Holmes. “Congratulations.”

Holmes entered a game against the Phoenix Suns with 2 minutes, 59 seconds remaining. He played the rest of the game and made his only field-goal attempt, a 3-pointer with 1:21 to play.

The Nuggets won 133-111, evening their record at 1-1 after a 137-131 loss at the Golden State Warriors on Thursday.

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.

According to a report by Bennett Durando, of the Denver Post, the Nuggets plan to send Holmes to their NBA G League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold, throughout the season to develop.

“They don’t want to rush me right now,” Holmes told the Denver Post. “So they’re going to have me come up and down, back and forth, to build confidence after my injury.”The G League season starts Nov. 7 when Grand Rapids plays at home against the Noblesville Boom at Van Andel Arena.“I can only say this: DaRon has been nothing but positive,” Adelman told the Denver Post. “Great attitude. Good learner. Good in the locker room, not just on the court. Just a great kid overall. Can really shoot the ball. And you’ve gotta remember, he’s coming off an Achilles (tear). It’s not like he had a sprained ankle last year. He’s playing basketball again for the first time (since college) in the last four months.”