NBA Rookie Grade Positive for Detroit Pistons’ New Front Office

June 2024 marked the first time the Detroit Pistons saw Trajan Langdon in action with the NBA Draft.

Langdon took on two picks, with one coming from each round. While the Pistons were fresh off of a 14-68 season, carrying the best odds to land the No. 1 pick, Detroit lacked luck in the lottery.

Once again, the Pistons were set to go on the clock with the fifth-overall pick.

And once again, the Pistons went the route of selecting a player who wasn’t coming off of a stint in the NCAA. Instead, they took on Ron Holland, who played for the NBA G League Ignite team.

In round two, the Pistons made a trade to swap picks with the Minnesota Timberwolves. When the 37th overall pick was up, the Pistons were landing Bobi Klintman. Not only did Klintman have a run at Wake Forest, but he also had experience overseas.

With the 2024-2025 NBA season halfway in the bag, how is Langdon’s first draft class grading out so far?

According to Bleacher Report’s, Grant Hughes, the Pistons landed a B.

“The Detroit Pistons are piling up wins, and rookie Ron Holland has had a positive impact on a couple of them,” Hughes wrote.

“Between Holland's occasional impact on winning, high-motor intensity and refusal to back down in the face of opposing vets, it's easy to imagine him developing into a quality starter.”

Holland was a polarizing pick for the Pistons at first. After Detroit took on a defensive juggernaut with shooting concerns with the fifth pick one year prior, many feared that Holland carried the same question marks.

From three, Holland is certainly a work in progress. Attempting two shots per game, Holland is averaging just 24 percent from beyond the arc. As he averages seven points per game, Holland is making 63 percent of his shots from two-point range.

As a top-five pick, it would be ideal for Detroit to have Holland at least in the Rookie of the Year conversation, but none of that matters since he’s fully embraced being a star in his limited role.

Holland has seen the court 42 times this year. He averages roughly 16 minutes off the bench. The Pistons are actually winning over 50 percent of their games, and Holland has still maintained a role throughout what’s become a successful season in Detroit so far.

Whenever a team can get a high-end rookie to buy into a specific limited role in year one, it’s a good sign for the future.

As for Klintman, he only has four minutes played this year. The rookie forward missed a ton of time due to a calf injury. At this stage in the season, he’s getting most of his experience at the G League level.

In nine regular-season games with the Motor City Cruise, Klintman is averaging 11 points, seven rebounds, and three assists. He’s shooting 45 percent from the field and 32 percent from three.

The Pistons are unlikely to get a real look at Klintman this year, but their first draft class under Langdon is shaping up to be a solid one so far.

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