3. DaRon Holmes II, forward/center, Dayton
As teams dig into his film, Holmes is rising big boards across the league. It’s notable that he received a green room invite for Wednesday night’s first round, and there’s more noise that Holmes could get selected in the top 20.
Holmes averaged 20.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.1 blocks while shooting 38.6% from 3-point range last season.
He’s a smart, do-everything defender who can play power forward and center in a switching scheme. He always maintains a defensive stance, boxes out, sprints the floor after stops and makes himself available for passes. He doesn’t put his head down when he doesn’t get the ball, and his competitive streak is evident from a healthy dose of trash talk.
It’s easy to see Holmes (6-foot-9, 7-foot-1 wingspan) backing up or playing next to Bam Adebayo. Selecting Holmes would give the Heat something in between Adebayo and Nikola Jovic and could complete a mix-and-match frontcourt trio for years to come.
Depth in the front court has been a soft spot in Miami’s depth chart for years. Drafting Holmes would be a smart way to address a long-standing team need.