After a strong Summer League, many were expecting Ron Holland II to make a big offensive leap this season, which hasn’t happened so far, and there are some pundits wondering if it ever will.
On a recent episode of the Game Theory Podcast, the hosts questioned Holland’s lack of offensive growth so far this season and what that could mean for his ceiling as a player.
Before I get into this, I’d like to say that I love Sam Vecenie and Bryce Simon and think they mostly give very fair and measured takes that are backed by evidence. I should also say I am like a mother grizzly bear when outsiders criticize our guys because I am a complete and utter Homer.
All that said, I am going to pump the brakes on this conversation a bit and point out some reality behind Ron Holland’ sophomore season.
Ron Holland is 20 years old
We are only 20 games into the season, but I do agree that Holland’s stock has slipped a little from where we started this season, which is with everyone hoping he’d made a substantial offensive leap.
Twenty is an important number here, as it also happens to be Ron Holland’s age, lest we forget. Time and time again, I’ve seen fans and pundits write off players before they are even able to legally buy a beer.
It most recently happened with Jalen Duren, and now all of the same people are saying he’s worth a max deal. Huh.
Jimmy Butler didn’t average double digits until he was 24 years old. Pasal Siakam was also 24 before he hit double digits and before that, both guys were known for defense and energy just like Holland.
We don’t know what NBA players are going to be at 20, so save me the rhetoric that you “don’t see guys morphing to where he’s at to star level,” as we have seen it and we are going to see it more as players are entering the league in their teens again and learning how to play whilst in the NBA, which isn’t easy.
Yes, you’d like to see more offense out of Holland, but he’s barely scratching the surface here, especially when you consider the context.
Ron Holland doesn’t have a role on offense
If Holland had been drafted by a bad team, he’d probably be scoring a lot more. At the very least, he’d be getting more reps, as Holland is only getting seven shots per game.
The Pistons don’t ever run plays for him, so most of his shots come out of the corner or attacking close outs, which rarely come since teams dare him to shoot. Holland is mostly an offensive scavenger out there.
Holland is like the 4th option even with a full bench unit, and JB Bickerstaff doesn’t ask him to do much on offense, as long as he is disruptive on defense, which he is.
Given the Pistons’ rotation logjam, Holland just doesn’t get enough consistent offensive reps, and that’s fine, as Detroit is trying to win a title, not turn Holland into a star.
I would like to see Holland more aggressive at getting to the rim and finishing, which is something he excelled at last year. And yes, it would be nice to see his shot go in more consistently, but it’s far too early to write him off as an offensive failure.