Did Ron Holland Land Detroit Pistons Passing NBA Draft Grade?

How did the Detroit Pistons grade out with their 2024 NBA Draft nearly one year later?

Nov 13, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Ron Holland II (00) during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Season one is nearly in the books for Detroit Pistons rookie Ron Holland. At this point, he remains a full-time player and seems to be in great standing with JB Bickerstaff and the rest of the organization.

In a league where rookies tend to flame out quickly if a team isn’t built to run through them, Holland has carved out a solid role for himself, helping the Pistons’ front office land a passing grade for their 2024 draft class.

Recently, Bleacher Report graded each team’s class and issued the Pistons a “B” after seeing most of the 2024-2025 NBA season play out.

“Ron Holland has averaged between 13 and 17 minutes in every month this season as the Detroit Pistons have let him see more consistent fringe-rotation playing time than most rookies enjoy. … For now, the rookie is mostly a high-motor defender and slasher—which goes a pretty long way on a Pistons team whose second-half run owes largely to solid D and an attacking mindset.”

The Pistons picked up Holland with the fifth overall pick last June. He was the top pick from an NBA G League Ignite team that played its final year before folding. At first, the selection was a head-scratcher, especially since the Pistons were mostly linked to Holland’s teammate Matas Buzelis during the pre-draft process.

But it didn’t take long for Pistons fans to warm up to Holland.

Following Detroit’s Sunday victory over the Portland Trail Blazers, Holland wrapped up his 65th game with the team. Throughout the year, Holland averaged roughly 16 minutes of playing time off the bench. He’s been averaging six points per game on 46 percent shooting from the field. As BR noted, he averages nearly 80 percent from the free-throw line on low volume.

One area where Holland had a question mark was his shooting from beyond the arc. In the G League last season, Holland attempted 3.6 threes per game. He was successful on just 24 percent of them. Throughout his first NBA season, Holland has averaged just 23 percent from deep.

The fact that Holland has become an everyday role player on a playoff-bound Pistons team at age 19 is a major positive. Unlike the high-end picks before him in Detroit, Holland is likely to earn some valuable experience in the postseason.

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