DaRon Holmes went into Wednesday night’s Nuggets Vs Clippers game with a clear target: use one preseason night in Los Angeles to show he is ready for more. The Denver Nuggets were 2-1 after two consecutive preseason wins, but with two games left before the regular season, the fight for minutes was still open enough for Holmes to make a case.
That matters now because the Nuggets are trying to turn preseason reps into answers, and this stretch in Los Angeles gives them only one more game after the Clippers before Friday’s finish against the Los Angeles Lakers. Holmes said the moment is about opportunity for him and for other players trying to make the most of the final exhibitions.
After practice on Tuesday, Holmes said he had improved a lot since last year. He said he felt more comfortable than he did then, believed he had gotten a lot stronger and thought he understood the game a lot better. He also said this is the time to showcase the work he put in over the summer, a simple message that fit the stakes around him.
The stakes are not simple inside the Nuggets’ frontcourt. The rotation has been described as feeling set, and Spencer Jones and Marvin Bagley III were expected to get the bulk of the backup minutes, but Holmes could still fight for a premium depth spot if he keeps showing the progress he described. David Adelman said practice matters, but game action is harder to copy, which is why these preseason nights still carry real weight.
So Wednesday night was less about the scoreboard than the audition. Holmes has two more preseason games to make his best argument, and the next one comes quickly against the Los Angeles Lakers. If he keeps translating comfort, strength and better reads into live play, he can change the conversation before the regular season arrives.
