After being mocked to pick Duke center Kyle Filipowski with the 22nd pick by a couple outlets two weeks ago, a new big man has popped up on mock drafts for the Phoenix Suns.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Both Bleacher Report and CBS Sports have the Suns selecting 21-year-old Dayton forward/center and Valley native DaRon Holmes II with the No. 22 overall pick.
Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman writes:
“There is first-round interest in DaRon Holmes II, who seemingly has a wide draft range and teams mystified about his stock.
He made plenty of jump shots during shooting drills at the combine. And more strong shooting during workouts will continue to help, as scouts have been debating how much to buy this year’s 38.6 percent mark from three.
He entered this pre-draft process with more momentum than he had last year. Improved range, handles/body control attacking the basket and passing have raised his draft stock, and he’s coming off a 23-point, 11-rebound, three-assist, four-stock game with a pair of threes against Arizona in the NCAA tournament.”
CBS Sports’ Kyle Boone described more of what the 6-foot-9 Holmes would bring to Phoenix:
”Holmes might be the leading ‘Hiding in Plain Sight’ candidate of the cycle. He dominated at Dayton inside and out; he has ridiculous range as both a defender and offensive weapon. His experience and ready-made game should make an immediate impact in Phoenix.”
In his third season at Dayton, Holmes was named the A-10 Co-Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year after leading the conference in points (20.4) and rebounding (8.5). He was also top 10 in the conference in field-goal percentage (54.4%) and blocks (2.1). Holmes played all 33 games for the 25-8 Flyers, guiding them to a No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
After his big season, Holmes was also a consensus All-American, being named to six All-America teams.
The biggest downside with Holmes is that he is undersized for a center at 6-9, but has shown the ability to space the floor and be a versatile defender, something Phoenix was missing among its role players at the 4/5 spot last season.
ESPN reported a couple weeks ago that Holmes received a draft promise from a team and cancelled his remaining pre-draft workouts.
Holmes played for two high school teams in Arizona: his first three years were spent at Millennium High School in Goodyear and his senior year at AZ Compass Prep. He then became the highest-ranked high school recruit to ever sign with the Flyers.
Could he return to Phoenix when the draft rolls around on June 26?
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Brendan Mau is a senior writer covering the Phoenix Suns and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau
