The Detroit Pistons need to see more out of Ron Holland II. They need more consistent production on both ends of the floor. And if they don’t get it soon, they could be forced to consider trading him. They cannot afford to waste this Cade Cunningham contention window, and waiting a bunch of time for Holland to develop could do just that.
At the end of the day, the Pistons need players who can help them win right now. They don’t want to win a championship 10 years from now; they want to win now. They were just the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. It’s not like they’re still building up. The time is now. They have the top-end talent; they just need the supporting cast.
If Holland can be a part of that, that’s great. If not, trading him for someone who can should be firmly on the table.
Pistons may have to consider trading Ron Holland II
When the Pistons drafted Holland, they were drafting potential. A freak athlete who clearly had the tools to become a menace on defense, with some glimpses of offensive talent.
Tobias Harris was the starting power forward at the time, but in an ideal world, the Pistons could have hoped that Holland was good enough to take over that spot by the time he left.
Well, Harris left this summer in free agency. He signed a deal with the San Antonio Spurs. But rather than being able to promote Holland, the Pistons added John Collins.
In no world is Holland ready to take over the starting power forward spot for the Pistons. He played 19.9 minutes in the regular season last year, and that number dipped to 6.4 minutes per game in the postseason.
He’s a non-playoff player at this point. JB Bickerstaff hasn’t been able to trust him enough to play him in the postseason. It’s only been two years, but the Pistons need more.
Unfortunately for Holland, the Pistons’ title-contention timeline with Cunningham at the helm has accelerated faster than his own development. That puts both sides in a pickle.
The Pistons need depth. They need guys they can trust to help Cunningham make a deep playoff run. He’s only 21 years old, but the tough reality is that Holland just isn’t that right now.
And if he doesn’t take a big enough leap next year, the Pistons may be forced to consider throwing him on the trade block in search of a win-now upgrade.
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