Nuggets First Round Pick Proving He Deserves More Minutes

The Denver Nuggets need to take notice.

Jan 17, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Daron Holmes II (14) before the game against the Washington Wizards at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Thanks to the Denver Nuggets' health trending in the right direction around their rotation, David Adelman's nightly starting lineup and second unit have begun to get more and more defined as players have gradually returned to the mix for the last month of the season.

However, in the process of the Nuggets' improving health, there's also been one name on the roster working in the background that's now made an appealing case to find his way back into Adelman's rotation for more minutes than he's seen in recent weeks.

That's none other than 2024's 22nd-overall pick, DaRon Holmes, who's been out of the Nuggets' lineup dating back to early March, but in the meantime, has been staying busy in the G League to put up some big numbers, enough to even warrant a more substantial spot in the rotation.

Does DaRon Holmes Deserve More NBA Minutes?

Holmes' last game in the G League with the Nuggets' affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold, came with a career-high of 36 points, six three-pointers made, and six rebounds against the Maine Celtics for an eye-catching performance for any player, even if not at the NBA level.

36 PTS 💎 6 REB 💎 13/20 FG 💎 6 3PM

2024 NBA first round pick DaRon Holmes II went off for a CAREER-HIGH in scoring and in three-pointers tonight for the @NBAGrandRapids. pic.twitter.com/Tf1ubZna2W

— NBA G League (@nbagleague) March 14, 2026

It's far from the first positive signs seen from Holmes throughout the past month, as the Nuggets' forward would also log his NBA career-high of 11 points the last time he was on the floor against the New York Knicks, albeit in a historic blowout loss for Denver of 39 points.

His sample size has been small in his first year fully healthy from his ACL tear that kept him out of the mix for the 2024-25 season, but when he's gotten an opportunity, he's emerged as an intriguing frontcourt piece for the future, but even so for right now.

Jan 18, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Charlotte Hornets center Ryan Kalkbrenner (11) defends Denver Nuggets forward Daron Holmes II (14) in the second half at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

One area in which the Nuggets could use a lift in their current lineup is their overall size. While being fully healthy outside of Peyton Watson (hamstring) helps, only two players in their typical rotation are above 6'9".

Holmes exceeds that threshold and brings a unique combination of size and athleticism, even if inexperienced, into the Nuggets rotation that could be valuable to add an extra layer of versatility to the second unit.

Considering Holmes has less than 200 regular season minutes to his name with less than a month to go until the playoffs are underway, there's not a ton of quality playing time for the Nuggets to evaluate within their first-round pick that saw a heavy investment less than two years ago.

The perfect time to get Holmes that added experience could come right around this point of the regular season––not jeopardizing any playoff implications if he's still proven to be a work in progress, but also offering another spark to the Nuggets' rotation with under 20 games to go that could be an overall net positive to the production of their second unit.

It might take a couple more big performances in the G League before Holmes is able to capture the attention of the Nuggets' staff for some additional playing time. But if Adelman truly wants to add an interesting spark to his frontcourt, giving his promising 23-year-old forward more opportunity would do just that.