Even though the Detroit Pistons have exceeded expectations this season, they are still in some stage of their rebuild, so player development is a top priority even as they try to make the playoffs.
It’s why I doubt the Pistons will do anything too drastic at the trade deadline, as they need to see what they have and how it all fits before they start making big moves.
One of the biggest questions is how their two #5 picks are going to mesh in the long-term, as Ausar Thompson and Ron Holland II have similar player profiles, and as of right now, neither of them is a good shooter.
This was one topic addressed on the Game Theory Podcast with Sam Vecenie, who had Bryce Simon (whose Substack recaps are great by the way) to talk about the Pistons.
They spent a little time on Ron Holland, his fit with Ausar Thompson, whether it can work long term and how JB Bickerstaff is going to find spacing when he still has too many players who don’t provide any.
Vecenie also made an interesting comparison for Ron Holland, one I have not heard but which makes a lot of sense.
Ron Holland II and Aaron Gordon
Vecenie said that Holland reminded him a bit of a young Aaron Gordon prototype, but just a bit skinnier.
Player comparisons are always a fool’s errand, but they can be useful when discussing team building and how players will ultimately fit together, as looking at past successes and failures can be a good road map.
Gordon and Holland are the same height, though Gordon is substantially bigger and stronger and weighs about 30 lbs. more than the rookie Holland, which you would expect.
But the two were much closer in size when Gordon was coming out of Arizona. Out of curiosity, I looked up Gordon’s profile ahead of the 2014-15 draft (Gordon was taken 4th overall) and here were some things that stood out:
-Energy
-Extreme athlete
-Loaded with intangibles but lacking polish offensively
-Relentless motor, team-first attitude
-Excellent finisher around the rim
-Always goes hard, never takes a play off
-Doesn’t have a soft shooting touch
Remind you of anyone? These are almost verbatim things you could have said about Ron Holland II before his rookie season and he has shown them to be true through the first half.
Holland is an elite athlete with a high motor who plays a relentless style. He’s not a great shooter but he takes it to the rim like a mad man is a good finisher once he gets there.
The stats back it up, as both Gordon and Holland have eerily similar numbers in their respective rookie seasons. Gordon scored 5.2 ppg with 3.6 rebounds, .7 assists, .4 steals and .5 blocks while playing 17 minutes per game and shooting 44 percent from the floor, 27 percent from long range and 72.1 percent from the line.
Holland is averaging 6.4 ppg with 2.8 rebounds, .8 assists, .5 steals and .2 blocks while playing 15.6 minutes per game and shooting 46.5/25/78, though Holland is taking two 3-point attempts per game to Gordon’s one.
Gordon has never been an All-Star, but he’s averaged 17/8/2.3 and improved to a league-average 3-point shooter (in most seasons), eventually morphing into one of the most important role players on a title team.
We’ll have to see where Holland’s talent ultimately takes him, but being a starter on a title team would be the dream for both him and the Pistons. It was an interesting comp that I had never heard, but it makes sense and I hope that Holland gets to Gordon’s level or even exceeds it.