DaRon Holmes

Holmes II spent the three years of his college career at Dayton, and he was a proficient scorer from the moment he debuted with the program. Holmes II started in each of the 102 appearances he made for the Flyers throughout his career, and he showed glimpses of his talent as a freshman when he averaged 12.8 points per game while shooting 64.9% from the field. The efficiency wasn't sustainable, but his scoring figures experienced a considerable uptick after averaging 18.4 points per game as a freshman. Holmes II saved the best for the final year as he notched career-best marks in each of the five major categories. He averaged 20.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 2.1 blocks and 0.9 steals across 32.5 minutes per game as a junior. That allowed him to be named the 2023-24 Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. He was also named 2023-24 Consensus All-American Second Team. He led the Atlantic 10 in scoring. Holmes is at his best in pick-and-roll situations. He makes an impact as a screener and finisher in those plays, where his mobility is also above average for his size. He doesn't have the most polished offensive game, and his shooting might be subpar at the next level despite experiencing improvements over his last college season. Still, he has the quickness and athleticism to be an asset near the rim as a lob threat and finisher, something he'll need to enhance at the next level due to his struggles creating his own shot. Holmes also can be an asset defensively due to his ability to defend multiple positions. But he won't be a difference-maker on that end of the court. He projects to play as a center at the next level, and his 6-foot-9 frame makes him undersized at the position. His positioning on defense also needs some work, and his reactions at the college level were often a bit slow when he wasn't playing deep near the rim. That will only get worse, given the speed of the NBA game. Holmes can offer value as a screener in the pick-and-roll game who can shoot the ball, finish near the rim and defend multiple positions. Still, he's also raw in some areas, such as his decision-making, defensive rotations and overall positioning, particularly on the defensive end. Cleaning up those things will ultimately determine the trajectory of his career, as he has proven he can be a lottery-level talent in the 2024 NBA Draft. If he doesn't clean those details, he might be better suited for a career as a backup big rather than a starter at center.