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.
Pistons’ selection of Ron Holland is not a win-now move
There was plenty of speculation leading up to the draft that the Pistons would trade back or try to use their pick to get a proven player who can help them improve now.
After suffering through the worst season in team history, it’s only natural to, you know, want to win a few games.
But remember, Trajan Langdon had nothing to do with that. He’s coming in with a clean slate, isn’t worried about the timeline of guys he didn’t draft, and is going to take the best player available.
Unfortunately, an 18-year-old with a project shot is not someone who is going to help right away.
It’s also fair to ask why the Pistons, who have been the worst shooting team in the league for what seems like decades, have taken another guy with a sketchy shot.
Don’t they already have a player with a similar makeup in Ausar Thompson? How are these two going to share the floor together?
And what about Cade Cunningham? This isn’t the type of pick that is going to pay off for him right away, so now you are selling your franchise player on another rebuild just before he is to sign an extension.
When it comes to instant improvement and fit, this pick is tougher to defend. I get why people have concerns over the shooting. I get why people have problems with high-upside pick with bust potential vs. someone who is a clear fit with a higher floor.
So, when it comes to timeline and ending of misery, this pick gets a middling grade.
Grade: C
But there’s more to this pick than the present.
Trajan Langdon saw something special in Ron Holland
Before we freak out about drafting another “non-shooter” consider that we are just off a low-scoring NBA Finals dominated by long wings who can play defense.
I’d also like to point out that new shooting coach Fred Vinson has a long history of helping players improve their shots, just ask Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Herb Jones and Jose Alvarado, who all improved under his tutelage.
The things Holland is already good at are things that can’t be taught, namely his insane athleticism, motor and playmaking with the ball in his hands. He’s more of a wing than a forward, a guy who can create, get downhill and finish.
If he develops a league-average 3-point shot, we have a potential Jaylen Brown here, as Holland has a non-stop defensive motor and wants to be great on that end.
Herb Jones was a 28 percent 3-point shooter in college (he was nearly five years older than Holland when drafted btw) who just made first team All-Defense while shooting 41.8 percent from long range after just a couple of years with Fred Vinson.
If Holland has that kind of improvement, the Pistons could have a two-way star on their hands. At the very least, they have two very athletic wings who can defend all over the floor.
This team can build its identity around defense and find shooting with the $64 million they have to spend in free agency and trades.
Many experts believe Holland has the most upside of any player in this draft. Langdon clearly wanted a home run on his first pick and knows that two-way wings who can defend are the NBA’s most valuable commodity.
And if the Pistons had passed on him for a better “fit” and he fulfilled that promise elsewhere, the same fans complaining about this pick would be coming for Langdon’s head.
Holland isn’t an instant fit and the Pistons didn’t make a massive win-now trade, which has understandably upset some folks (some of you really need anger management), but as far as upside goes, the Pistons swung for the fences and I applaud them for it.
This pick may score low in the present but I love it for the future.