The Detroit Pistons surprised many around the NBA by selecting Ron Holland II with the 5th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Holland wasn’t a player we heard mentioned much as a possibility for Detroit, but in this draft, it wasn’t completely surprising to be surprised by the pick.
Trajan Langdon was looking to hit a home run in his first draft and clearly isn’t concerned about instant gratification, as Holland is a raw, high-upside guy who is one of the youngest players in the class.
The opinions on this pick tend to go to the extremes, as some applaud Langdon for taking a chance on a potential star, while others have already declared Holland a bust.
It will take time to know what the Pistons have in Ron Holland
It always amazes me how people who have never seen a prospect play can instantly declare they were the wrong choice and will be a bust. My timeline was littered with these basketball Nostradamuses today, who should probably be out buying lottery tickets with all of their foresight.
Calling Holland “another Stanley Johnson” is just a lazy take (one I've heard about 8 million times already), especially when most of these people have never even seen Holland play and are going by box score stats from 46 shots he took in the G-League as an 18-year-old.
Many fans wanted the instant gratification of a player who was a clear fit, usually a shooter because “HOLLAND CAN’T SHOOT!” These same fans would be crying foul in 3-4 years when Dalton Knecht turns out to be Doug McDermott when the “PISTONS COULD HAVE DRAFTED A STAR!”
See: Kennard, Luke vs. Mitchell, Donovan for a recent example.
A 14-win team can’t reach for need, and if you want Kennard, he’s very available. Mitchell is a superstar for another team because he couldn't shoot and wasn't a good fit for the Pistons, remember?
But I get the frustration, as no one wants to hear about development and long-term goals when the team hasn’t been good since Obama was president.
For these grades, I am going to look at both concerns and try to reconcile the timeline with the potential. Don’t worry, misery brigade, I’ve got something for you.