When the Detroit Pistons signed Ausar Thompson to a five-year extension, they immediately started a clock on his ability to co-exist with Ron Holland II.
Holland is entering his third season, and though he’s flashed signs of a high ceiling, we’ve yet to see it on offense, where he still offers little other than fast break buckets. Holland scored nearly half his total points on the fast break last season, so it’s obvious he needs more versatility to his offensive game.
The focus has mostly been on his shooting, as there is little evidence of a dribble-drive game and his shot mechanics are not terrible. He shoots over 80 percent from the line, so it’s not unreasonable that Holland’s 3-point shoot will eventually follow.
But it won’t be strictly shot numbers the Pistons are looking at when evaluating Holland’s future, it will be his ability to co-exist with Ausar Thompson.
The Pistons need to nail their most difficult duo
When Thompson signed, it was immediately suggested that Ron Holland could be made expendable, as the two are similar players and the Pistons already have enough spacing issues with the Thompson/Jalen Duren pairing assuming Duren eventually ends up in Detroit.
You don’t use a #5 pick on a guy to put him on the bench, so eventually, the Pistons would love a world where they can play Thompson and Holland at the same time, as two big, defensive wings would make Detroit’s perimeter defense even better.
The caveat is that one or both of them have to be able to shoot or score for that to work. Thompson has reportedly been working on his on-ball creation and finishing in the paint, which would help mitigate some of the spacing issues, as teams wouldn’t be able to just sag off him.
Holland is unlikely to make that particular leap, though he should benefit from the increased spacing created by the shooters coming off the bench with him.
Where he can do the most damage outside of transition is in the corner, so an uptick in his percentage on the corner three would also make it possible for him and Ausar to co-exist in certain lineups for short stretches.
It doesn’t all have to come at once, but there do need to be signs this season, or the Pistons will have some tough calls to make at the trade deadline.
Holland is not only their most enticing young (possible available) player, but his salary is also big enough to make a difference when it comes to matching contracts in a trade. If the Pistons aren’t seeing enough evidence of the things they need to see from Holland, he could easily be one of their best trade chips if they decide to go star hunting at the trade deadline, especially with a team like Dallas, which may be looking for young talent on Cooper Flagg's timeline.
Holland can make that choice more difficult by showing signs he can co-exist with another defensive wing and eventually play a role worthy of his draft status.
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