Just 5 games into the young season, the Pistons’ most disappointing player has probably been young Ron Holland II. Holland, who’s now in his third season after being drafted 5th overall in 2024, hasn’t made the offensive improvements everyone hoped to see in the offseason.
Unlike fellow defensive ace Ausar Thompson, Holland has yet to show flashes of new additions to his offensive game. That’s a very worrying sign for Holland’s long-term future on the Pistons - or any other team for that matter. But for now, the Pistons seem stuck with him because he’ll have such poor trade value that it’s not worth shopping him around the league.
It’s hard to find a good Holland trade
The only realistic trade options including Holland are ones where he’s sent out as part of a bigger package for a Pistons upgrade. Few, if any, teams would be willing to trade an asset with real value straight-up for Holland.
That leaves Detroit stuck with Holland and his rising contract next season. The Pistons unexpectedly picked up his team option for next season at $11.5 million, but he hasn’t lived up to that decision yet. Through 5 games, Holland is averaging a shade under 3 points per game and shooting just 29% from the field.
Instead of stepping up amidst other injuries on the roster, Holland has arguably looked worse than ever offensively. He’s still a great defender, but one-dimensional players are rapidly becoming extinct in the NBA unless they produce at a star level. And Holland is too big of an offensive liability right now to get enough minutes to be a defensive star.
The Pistons need Holland to bounce back
Thankfully, the Pistons do have enough depth to weather a Holland regression. They have other solid wings coming off the bench like Javonte Green and Kevin Huerter, who have more two-way impact than Holland. But ideally, Detroit sees Holland’s confidence come back on the offensive end.
In the past, Holland could at least retain some offensive value with his relentless rim attacks, especially on the fast break. But even that source of scoring has largely dried up this season. At the very least, that bread-and-butter transition scoring has to return.
The Pistons had hoped to see even more advanced progression from Holland this season, such as improved 3-point shooting and playmaking off his cuts. Neither have emerged yet, but maybe they can develop steadily once Holland returns to his basics.
Detroit probably won’t even have the option of giving up on Holland in any reasonable way. Now that his offense has shown such concerning signs, his trade value will surely tank around the league. So the Pistons can only hope that he finds a way to improve.
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