How DaRon Holmes II became Denver Nuggets' ideal draft pick

Holmes transferred twice in high school, going from Arizona to Florida and back, before becoming the highest-ranked high school recruit to ever sign with the Dayton Flyers.

His full potential as a pro prospect was unlocked last season, when he started making 3s. In his first two years at Dayton, Holmes was 27% beyond the arc. As a junior, he catapulted to 38.6% with a wide-base form that Booth compared to Al Horford’s.

Behind that improvement was a commitment to training that Denver loves to see in its draft targets.

“We did the same drill every night. And this was the first year I can truly say I was in the gym, dang near every day, and just getting up a lot of shots,” Holmes said. “I also was asking my coaches about just the little details I can fix on my shot.”

His standard regimen took anywhere from an hour to 90 minutes, usually after practice or otherwise the night before a game. It started with 10 shots from each of the five spots around the perimeter. Then a star drill. Then the same pair of exercises, repeated at the other end (but first, free throws in between). Then another drill in which he gradually slid his feet along the perimeter between every attempt, covering every inch of the arc until he hit 50 shots going corner to corner.

Then back the way he came. Another 50.

Then more free throws.

Then shots out of specific sets, like pick-and-pop 3s at game speed.

“My freshman and sophomore year, mainly the bigs would be in drop (coverage),” Holmes recalled. “I didn’t really even notice, because my mind was just: ‘Catch. Swing. What am I supposed to do next?’ … I was just trying to make sure I was doing everything right — which is good. You need to do a lot of things right. And then we looked at the film.”

Holmes remembers head coach Anthony Grant bringing him into his office, along with Greer, to show him how an improved shot could change the dimensions of Dayton’s offense. “I literally need to see how it can impact winning if I can bring that to the table,” Holmes said. “So they showed me how, if I’m able to knock down that shot, it will make the big come out. And if the big comes out, you have so many other options.”

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