NBA Draft Profile- DaRon Holmes II
Dayton Big Man Offers up Some Post Scoring
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Today’s Spotlight - Dayton, Power Forward, DaRon Holmes II
Name- DaRon Holmes II
Pos- Power Forward
Team- Dayton
HT/WT- 6’10” 235 lbs
Born- 8/15/2002
Home – Goodyear, AZ
DaRon Homes II grew up in Goodyear, Arizona and initially attended Millennium High School. He was named the Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year after averaging 23.7 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.8 blocks, and 3.1 assists per game as a junior. Holmes transferred to Montverde Academy in Florida prior to the start of his senior season. He ultimately moved back to Arizona during his winter break and transferred a second time to Arizona's Compass Prep School.
Holmes was rated a four-star recruit and committed to playing college basketball for Dayton over offers from Arizona, Marquette, and California.
Holmes started all 35 games at Dayton as a freshman and led the team with 12.8 points per game and also averaged 6.1 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game. He also set a school record with 81 total blocks in a season. His strong performance was rewarded by being named the Atlantic 10 Conference Rookie of the Year, second-team All-Atlantic 10, and he was named to the conference All-Defense team.
As a sophomore, Holmes averaged 18.4 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game and was named first-team All-Atlantic 10 team. After the season he declared for the 2023 NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility. He later withdrew and announced he was returning to Dayton for his junior season.
Holmes set career highs in scoring (20.4) and rebounds (8.5) during his junior season at Dayton. He was named Atlantic 10 co-Player of the Year and announced after the season that he was entering the NBA Draft.
DaRon Holmes is a solid low post scorer who has effective footwork in getting to the basket. His best skill is his relentlessness for shot blocking. Holmes always seems to contest shooters and even if he doesn't get the block he changes the trajectory of their shots. Holmes has enough play making skills for his size and does a good job in pick and rolls and setting screens.
Holmes is very limited in what he can do in his offensive game. He is a sufficient low-post scorer but does not have any range in his shot. Today's NBA likes to have big men who can stretch the floor, and he cannot do this right now.
Holmes gets fouled a lot underneath and needs to improve his free throw shooting to take advantage of it. He has improved over the past couple of seasons and needs to continue his improvement at the charity stripe. NBA teams are going to match him up against a power forward or a center who will get him to move out of the paint. He is going to have to work on his footwork and agility to be able to defend the perimeter against these types of players.
Strengths
- Size/ Wingspan
- Shot Blocking
- Strength and Balance
- Low Post Scoring
Weaknesses
- Free Throw Shooting
- Turnovers
- Perimeter Defense
- Scoring in Traffic
Final Analysis
DaRon Holmes II is by no means a finished product. He does add a shot blocking presence and is a low-post player capable of making baskets. Holmes projects as a quality rotation type player who can add supply some beneficial minutes. He could go anywhere from 25-30 in the first round or come off the board early in round two.
Draft Nation Draft Prediction -Mid-Late First Round pick.
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