The trip to Las Vegas is anything but a vacation for DaRon Holmes II, even though he’s not on the Nuggets’ Summer League roster.

“I shouldn’t be going on vacations right now,” Holmes said Wednesday before Denver’s summer squad headed to the desert. “I haven’t proved myself yet, so my goal is to get better every day until I gain trust from my teammates and coaches that I can go out there and compete.”

Holmes was the only player on a standard contract for next season who spent the last three days practicing with the Summer League squad at Ball Arena. JJ Barea has been pleased with his squad’s level of physicality and willingness to compete. Bodies hitting the floor was a regular occurrence in scrimmages. All of that was fine with the 23-year-old Holmes, who failed to earn a regular spot in David Adelman’s rotation in what was effectively his rookie season.

“When guys come in, especially for Summer League, everybody’s trying to earn something. Everybody’s trying to get that spot, so everybody’s playing hard,” Holmes said. “For me, that’s what I need to be around, because that’s what I’m trying to do. I’m trying to earn my time on the court. So, regardless of wherever anybody is at in their career, everybody’s out here busting their tails to get to where they want to be.”

Las Vegas has already had a significant impact on the start of Holmes’ career. Weeks after the Nuggets traded three second-round picks to move up and select the former Dayton Flyer with the 22nd pick of the 2024 draft, Holmes tore an Achilles tendon in his first Summer League game. He didn’t play again until a return to Las Vegas a year ago.

“It’s really no joke. It used to be an injury where you’re done if you tear your Achilles. I think it’s definitely the worst injury you can have playing basketball,” Holmes said.

“It’s been a full process. It does take a while, even the year after you get good with your leg and everything, you still have to stay on top of things. You still have to get in the weight room and do extra. You have to go that extra mile just to be able to maintain. It’s just a lot. It really is, but I’m glad to be where I’m at today.”

Even as the Nuggets’ forwards and centers battled injuries for much of last season, Holmes was limited to 25 appearances in the regular season, averaging 3.7 points and 1.4 rebounds. He was open to playing at Summer League again this year, but that decision was above his pay grade and that of the Summer League coach.

“That’s not on my level,” Barea said. “I like ‘Deuce.’ I wish he was playing so we could do this pick-and-pop and let him shoot 3s all Summer League, but I think it was good that he did this.”

Holmes is still being challenged to find a way to play.

“I told him in Vegas now, ‘There’s going to be a lot of pickup games, a lot of NBA games randomly. Try to play in all of them, so you can get reps in.’ But he’ll be fine,” Barea said. “He’s getting better.”

The two years since his first trip to Summer League have been tumultuous. Holmes admitted to dealing with the typical mental rehab alongside the physical but added he’s never been more confident heading into his second real season with the Nuggets.

“I would say everybody goes through that process, just mentally feeling like ‘Dang, I don’t know if I can still do this the same,’ but at the end of the day, for me, I feel great out there. I feel like I’m learning new things about my game,” Holmes said. “I feel like I’m learning how to play without being the most freakish, athletic guy. I felt like I was very athletic before. I feel like I still am. … So, I feel like it helped, in a way.”