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NBA draft grades for Pistons: What experts think of Ron Holland selection

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6 months ago

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NBA draft grades for Pistons: What experts think of Ron Holland selection

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Ron Holland is now a member of the Detroit Pistons.

New Pistons president Trajan Langdon took a swing at some high upside in Holland, who will turn 19 on July 7, who was a top recruit out of high school then played a season for the G League Ignite. Holland is an athletic wing player who can slot into multiple spots for the Pistons, but questions linger about his shooting ability after struggling with efficiency in his first professional season.

Holland has plenty of potential as a two-way game-changer, but the flaws in his game (shooting, turnovers) mirror some of the big issues that plagued the Pistons in the worst season in franchise history last year. His size at 6 feet 7 with a 6-11 wingspan coupled with a 38-inch vertical jump, are tools of a prototypical plus wing defender in the NBA and he plays hard consistently. However, most see the jump shot as the cap to his NBA ceiling.

ANALYSIS: Trajan Langdon’s belief in Ron Holland with Pistons is a belief in himself, too

Here is the immediate reaction and letter grades from people who cover the NBA on the Pistons’ pick of Holland at five.

Pistons beat writer Omari Sankofa II gave Langdon and the Pistons a B for the Holland selection. The Pistons earned a passable grade from Sankofa because swinging for the fences in an ambiguous draft class has merit, but couldn’t quite go to an A because of Holland’s perceived value pre-draft.

“New Pistons president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon is gunning for upside, and his athleticism and defensive tools will help him in the long run, particularly if his shot develops,” Sankofa wrote. “In this draft, swinging for the fences may pay off big.”

USA TODAY’s Ayrton Ostly gave the Pistons’ pick a B+, also commending the giant hack at finding talent in the rough.

“Detroit is without a head coach but they took one of the more versatile wings in the draft, especially on defense,” Ostly wrote. “He can create a solid core of youngsters in Detroit alongside Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey.”

SB Nation’s Ricky O’Donnell is a big fan of the Holland selection. Despite the seemingly awkward fit with the already shooting-averse Pistons roster, O’Donnell believes Holland is one of those guys in this class.

“Detroit drafted another super athletic wing who can’t shoot last year in Ausar Thompson,” O’Donnell wrote. “The Pistons have badly needed spacing around Cade Cunningham, and they keep going the other way, although it’s worth noting that the team has a brand new front office led by Trajan Langdon. Still, I believe Holland is one of the best players in this draft for his athleticism, slashing, transition scoring, and defensive motor. Playing hard is a skill, and no one plays harder in this class than Holland. Weird fit, but the player is undeniably talented.”

RON HOLLAND SAYS: I had no clue Pistons were interested in me in NBA draft

Yahoo! had Holland ranked as the 10th-best player in the class predraft and had some concerns about his offensive ability despite the bright future prospects.

“Although he can be turnover prone at times, his size at 6-foot-8 and his burst off the dribble and in transition still gives him room for growth in the NBA at just 18 years old,” Yahoo! wrote. “His movement off the ball needs some work and he sometimes clogs the lane with his attempts to get to the rim.”

No one likes a C showing up on the report card. Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley was not overly impressed with the Holland pick, described as a “stunner” at five, considering the fit with a roster that lost at a historic rate last year.

“The Pistons need to expand their talent base, and this new front office just took one of the more intriguing fliers in this class,” Buckley wrote. “Having said that, you wonder if Detroit could’ve moved down and still landed Holland. You also wonder whether he’ll do anything to fix the Pistons’ crushing issues with spacing on offense.”

The Sporting News’ Kyle Irving said the Holland selection was a “pleasant” surprise and praised the pick because of his talent and defensive chops.

“Holland is a versatile and relentless defender who plays with unlimited energy,” Irving wrote. “He’s a raw offensive product but still managed to average 20.6 points per game for the Ignite despite lacking a reliable jump shot or polished shot-creation skills. He was once in the running to go No. 1 overall and I’m firm in believing he’s a top-five talent in this class.”

The Athletic didn’t give out a letter grade, but went with straight analysis from Sam Vecenie and John Hollinger, who both are high on Holland.

“His shooting is an issue; he’s willing to take them, but he made just 24 percent and must clean up his mechanics,” Vecenie wrote. “However, he possesses a ton of basketball character, and it shows in how he attacks the game. He’s the ultimate loose-ball guy. His energy is infectious. He plays incredibly hard and competes all the time.”

“I love it! Holland was the No. 1 guy on my board, and I was absolutely perplexed that he was falling so far in mock draft world when his output at G League Ignite was superior to that of several other recent lottery picks,” Hollinger wrote. “Holland may struggle out of the gate as he works on his shooting and half-court reads, but the Pistons shouldn’t be in win-now mode and badly need a second wing creator to help Cade Cunningham.”

The Ringer’s Danny Chau said Holland has the tools to contribute at the NBA level and will become good buddies with new Pistons assistant and renowned shot guru Fred Vinson, while comparing him to Cam Whitmore from last year’s class.

“He has the burst, the speed, and the vertical explosion (and hangtime) to be a high-level defensive playmaker at the next level—but maybe most important, he has the want-to,” Chau wrote. “Holland can sometimes play a bit ahead of his skis, but it’d be hard to discount his effort and intensity. He and Vinson will get to know one another quite well this summer, but all the tools are there.”

Make “The Pistons Pulse” your go-to Detroit Pistons podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) or watch live/on demand on YouTube. Tune in Thursday morning for live reaction to the first round.

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