“I can do it all,” Holmes said. “I pick and pop. I pick and roll as a big. I think from my position, I shoot the ball pretty well as a 5.”
Holmes showed off his outside shooting touch last week at the combine, making 18 of 25 3-pointers in a 3-point spot-up shooting drill. He made 32 of 83 3-pointers (38.6%) last season.
Holmes set career highs in scoring (20.4) and rebound (8.5) as a junior despite not having another dominant big man beside him as he did in his first two seasons with Toumani Camara, a second-round pick in the 2023 draft.
At the next level, Holmes said he won’t be double-teamed as he was in college.
“I’m going to have way more space to operate,” Holmes said. “I’m good at playing with great players. I’ll be able to make reads. I make the right play. I’m not selfish. I just know how to play basketball.”
Holmes has until May 29 to decide whether to stay in the draft or return to UD for his final season of eligibility. The draft takes place June 26-27 in Brooklyn, N.Y., and New York City.
Andy Katz, of NBA TV, interviewed Holmes at the combine and wrote on X (Twitter) he expects Holmes to stay in the draft. Last week, Holmes also told Kevin Sweeney, of Sports Illustrated, he’s “way more confident (about staying in the draft) this year.”
Holmes measured 6-foot-8¾ without shoes at the combine. He weighed 236.2 pounds. He had a 7-1 wingspan. He was one of a number of players invited to the combine who elected not to participate in the scrimmages at Wintrust Arena.
“We didn’t really see the point in it,” Holmes said. “It’s not the best basketball just because you’re playing with people you’ve never really played with before. ... The scouts have seen us play all year. They know how we play.”
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