When the Detroit Pistons drafted Ron Holland II with the 5th pick, they knew they were getting a player with immense upside who was a work in progress.
Holland II was mentioned as a possible #1 pick coming into last season, but an up and down year for the terrible G-League Ignite didn’t help those prospects.
The talent is there, and we’ve seen flashes of it already in the Summer League, where Holland II has dazzled with some highlight reel dunks and elite athleticism, but has also shown the inefficiency you would expect from a young player with an unfinished jumper.
Holland’s profile is reminiscent of two other players who he mentioned recently in an interview with Sportskeeda.
Holland talked about his favorite players, his adjustment to NBA life and whether he thinks the Pistons will be competitive. He also spoke about who he models his game after, saying that Mikal Bridges and Jaylen Brown are two players whose game and approach are closest to his own.
Holland talked about focusing on defense and not trying to do too much as a rookie, as Bridges did with Phoenix and how Jaylen Brown has consistently added new elements to his game.
It’s interesting that he chose two of the best two-way wings in the game, because that’s exactly what the Detroit Pistons need.
Ron Holland, Mikal Bridges, Jaylen Brown and the Detroit Pistons
There are some superficial similarities between these players, as all of them are big wings (Holland is the tallest at 6-foot-8) who can defend and make plays from the perimeter. They all entered the NBA with questionable long-range shooting, something both Bridges and Brown have improved over the course of their careers.
Bridges shot 33.5 percent from long range as a rookie on over three attempts per game and Brown knocked down 34 percent on half as many attempts. Those are numbers the Pistons would certainly take from Holland as a rookie, as he shot well under 30 percent in the G-League last season.
He’s already working with shooting coach Fred Vinson, so hopefully consistency and repetition will eventually lead to better numbers for Holland.
It’s the defensive end where he can make the biggest impact right away, just as Bridges and Brown did with their respective teams.
Holland will get that chance, as he likely won’t start as a rookie and will have to earn his minutes off the bench. The Pistons aren’t going to ask him to do too much, so he can focus on defense, improving his shooting and making good decisions on both ends without the burden of carrying an offense.
The Pistons have long lacked a true two-way wing, a guy who can take on the other team’s best player but also contribute on the offensive end.
If Holland ends up anything like the players he’s modeled his game after, the Pistons may finally have that guy. Given that Holland is even younger entering the league, it may take a few years, but he gave an impressive interview that shows his head is in the right place.