Pistons Draft Crush - Ron Holland?

What would the Detroit Pistons be getting in the G League Ignite prospect at No. 5 overall?

6’6 Wing

18 Years Old (Turns 19 on July 7th)

Duncanville HS, Currently Playing for G League Ignite

19.5 PPG - 6.7 RPG - 2.9 APG - 2.3 SPG - 0.9 BPG - 3.2 TOPG (31.9 MPG - 29 GP)

46% on 15.5 FGA - 24% on 3.3 3PA - 73% on 3.9 FTA

*Remember to find “Full Season Stats” when looking at G League Ignite players. Some sites, including RealGM, will have them split into “Regular Season” and G League Showcase Cup”*

My Draft Position - Top 7 Pick

*These are my raw, and condensed, scouting report notes from watching multiple games throughout the season*

ARCHETYPE/POTENTIAL ROLE

Athletic and explosive wing (I do not think he is a forward but am interested to see what he officially measures at) who has the potential to be a high volume scorer and defensive playmaker. I do believe he will be a mostly off the ball player who you want to create advantages for and then allow him to attack those opportunities. Will get the reputation as a “selfish” player based on ASST:TO numbers but I believe those to be misleading in terms of that, specifically. The questions around his feel for the game are much more warranted. Defensively, he is a player that will make plays and be disruptive but will need to work on the fundamentals of this end to simply be more “solid” in situations that ask for it. 

OFFENSE

• He does have some twitch, explosion, etc. that I am not sure anyone else currently in the top 10 has

  • Looks pretty explosive on a transition dunk with a BIT of traffic

  • Very fluid and ground covering euro step

• The jumper form looks okay but the numbers do NOT back that up

  • This has been a tough evaluation in terms of what I believe about his ability to knock down outside shots and provide floor spacing

  • I wish the jump shot off the dribble (particularly in the mid range) had more elevation

    • It’s a little TOO “relaxed” for me

  • The initial thought on the jump shot is it doesn’t look too bad (Note from HS Film)

    • Arm mechanics and follow through look okay to me

• I think he has some wiggle and downhill penetration ability BUT the finishing?

  • The positive flashes I do think he has shown some real nuance with his finishes

    • He has REALLY pressured the rim

    • Quite a few left hand attempts (even if not always successful)

  • He is getting into the lane but not finishing

  • Want to keep an eye on the floater throughout the season to see how much I believe in that

    • HOW GOOD CAN THE FLOATER GAME BE???

  • He does have some real explosion with his first step

  • I’m very interested in his ability to play through contact getting downhill AND then playing soft touch off the glass

    • I think his overall touch is actually pretty solid

• I think he is truly an OFF THE BALL player

  • He is an OFF THE BALL player in terms of I don’t think he can primary create and decision make BUT

    • He can attack with the ball in his hands, ESPECIALLY when there is an off ball action that happens first

    • He has some REAL wiggle and creativity, start/stop, etc. in these situations (not as much in true isolation)

    • Cuts, curl off screens, hopefully C&S

  • The handle in isolation does not look nearly as good (SOMEWHAT OF A CONTRADICTION BUT IT’S DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ISOLATION AND ADVANTAGE CREATED BEFORE TOUCH)

    • Having to BULLY through defenders more than what I would like to see

      • Couple of these may should have been offensive fouls

    • The handle looks shaky and loose at times

• I don’t think he is selfish with his passing BUT does make questionable decisions and probably some fair questions around just the feel

  • I know some of the Asst to TO numbers are rough but I DON’T think he is a selfish player at all

  • Flashed some decent passing and definite unselfishness

DEFENSE

• I don’t think he is an ELITE defensive player in terms of staying in front of guys on the ball (this was his reputation coming out of HS)

  • Does get beat just a little more than you would like to see for a guy whose defense is talked about as much as it is (effort is one thing but still has to have the production to go with it) (Defensive note from HS Film)

  • Taylor Hendricks just blows by him in isolation on the first possession

    • Completely misses a box out from the perimeter

  • I only emphasize this because his reputation was as an elite defender coming out of HS and I am not sure he is that in terms of “on the ball, stay in front of your guy”

• HE DOES PLAY EXTREMELY HARD AND I DO THINK HE CAN MAKE PLAYS DEFENSIVELY 

  • This is a lot of value in this but there are going to be some bad habits to break (reminds me a bit of the Thompson Twins in terms of some of the bad habits off the ball BUT if you could harness that and get mostly the good playmaking it would be a real value add)

• He might be the worst weakside rebounder I have watched this year in terms of actually getting a box out, missing a rotation or just turning and staring at the rim

  • HE HAS AT LEAST BEEN ATTACKING SOME REBOUNDS LATELY 

    • Again, there is at least value in attacking rebounds aggressively but I think he will need to add these other nuanced aspects

FOR THE PISTONS

Similar to what I wrote about Stephon Castle, “Somewhere this offseason the Pistons (and Trajan Langdon) HAVE, HAVE, HAVE to prioritize shooting and floor spacing. I don’t think that takes them out of taking a player like Castle but just means that if they do, the construction of the rest of the roster must solve the issue via free agency and/or trade.” the same applies to Ron Holland. I am probably higher on Holland than anyone BUT I am the first to admit that you would be adding another potential non spacer to the roster. Holland is probably the most explosive athlete in the top 10, has real two way upside on the wing, is a true off the ball player that can pressure the lane from this role but his floor spacing (along with his overall “feel” for the game) is a real concern. Defensively, he uses that athleticism and awesome motor to be disruptive but there could be some growing pains with the finer points on this end of the court (Ausar Thompson). Again, I am a huge fan of this kid but he would be lower on my Pistons specific board than my general board UNLESS I knew exactly what some of the other offseason plans were for the rest of the roster.