Aside from the Malik Beasley drama and flurry of offseason moves that brought in Duncan Robinson and Caris LeVert, the most exciting development of the offseason so far for the Detroit Pistons was the Summer League play of Ron Holland, which drew effusive praise from one team executive.
Holland reminded everyone why he was a top five pick and a guy who many had pegged as the best player in his draft class. He has a long way to go to prove that, but given he is only 20 years old, there is exciting possibility in what we have seen from Holland so far.
There was plenty of Summer League buzz around the Pistons, most of it revolving around rumors that teams were sniffing around Jaden Ivey. For Detroit’s part, they seem to feel Ivey a huge part of their future, so that speculation appears to be coming from outside the organization.
The rest of the buzz was around Holland, who looked confident and poised in Summer League, ready to take on a bigger role in his second season. His improvement is a huge X-Factor for the Pistons, who lack forward depth and need him to step up.
One Pistons’ executive believes that is exactly what is going to happen, and they didn’t hold back the praise for Ron Holland.
The Detroit Pistons see huge things for Ron Holland
Obviously one anonymous executive doesn’t speak for the entire organization, but going by these quotes, it’s safe to say the Pistons are high on Holland see him as a big part of their future. This comes from Keith Smith at Spotrac:
“Oh, man! Yes! Be honest with me: Did you see a better player out here (Las Vegas) than Ron?” a Pistons front office executive said. “If you say you did, you better be ready for an argument! Ron was so good. We said it when we drafted him that we felt like we got one of the best players in the draft. As a rookie, he just got better every single day. Now, he’s going to break out and have an incredible season. The jumper and the free throw shooting? Those are real. Big, big, BIG year coming for Ron.”
If Holland’s shooting is for real, as this person suggests, then he is in for a huge second season, as he is already an impact defensive player and rim attacker in transition.
Holland making a respectable percentage from 3-point range would unlock further lineup possibilities for coach JB Bickerstaff and potentially allow the Pistons to get away with their lack of depth at power forward.