Ron Holland II gets no love now or in five years in recent survey

Most experts and fans were surprised when the Detroit Pistons took Ron Holland II with the 5th pick in the 2024 Draft. 

As one of the youngest players in his class, Holland is a project who was expected to go later after being mocked in the top-5 for much of the early parts of last season. 

He’s also not a shooter, so isn’t an immediate fit with the Pistons’ other young players, several of whom (Jaden Ivey, Ausar Thompson, Jalen Duren) have shot issues of their own. 

But new team president Trajan Langdon didn’t care about any of that, as he saw what Holland could be, not what he is. Langdon has shown an affinity for athletic wings who can defend and Holland fits the mold, as he has a non-stop motor and desire to be great on that end. 

Langdon swung for potential over need in his first draft, letting Pistons fans know that he wasn’t going to rush things just because the team has been terrible for five years and is coming off the worst season in history. 

While Langdon may have a vision, coaches, execs and scouts from around the NBA aren’t seeing it and gave Holland no love in a recent survey for ESPN (subscription). 

Ron Holland II in the Rookie of the Year race 

A group of coaches, front office executives and NBA scouts were asked which player would win the 2024-25 Rookie of the Year and Ron Holland II didn’t get a single vote. 

Zach Edey (8) won the vote with Reed Sheppard (5) second, Alex Sarr (2) third and Stephon Castle, Tristan da Silva and Rob Dillingham getting one vote each. 

It’s not surprising, as Holland just turned 19 years old, has a raw offensive game and may not even be in the Pistons’ rotation to start the season. If he is, it will likely be from the bench, so Holland is going to have to earn his minutes over time. 

Edey will likely start right away for a team chasing the playoffs, so it makes sense that a 22-year-old with NBA-ready skills would be the favorite, especially in a draft without a clear star. 

But what about the future, surely a high-upside talent like Holland will have a few believers? 

Ron Holland II in five years 

The group was also asked who would be the best rookie five years from now, and I did expect Holland to get at least a vote or two in this one, as his ceiling is as high as anyone’s in the draft. 

But Holland didn’t get a single vote in this one either. Instead, it went to Reed Sheppard (8), Stephon Castle (3), Donovan Clingan (2), Nikola Topic (2), with Matas Buzelis, Dalton Knecht and Bub Carrington getting a vote each. 

It’s not surprising that a draft with no consensus top five would produce results like this, as you’d have a better chance of predicting the Powerball than which of these rookies will be a star. 

My guess is that the best player from this draft comes out of nowhere and may not be on this list at all. Hopefully, that player is Ron Holland II, who is going to have some bulletin board material for motivation this summer as he tries to prove the Detroit Pistons made the right choice.