Draft Preview: Ron Holland Could Be Steal of the Draft if Raptors Keep Their Pick

The Toronto Raptors could land the steal of the draft if the organization keeps its first-round picks and takes Ron Holland near the top of the draft this summer

Mar 28, 2023; Houston, TX, USA; West guard Bronny James (6) and forward Ron Holland (1) / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Ron Holland was once the consensus No. 1 prospect in the 2024 NBA draft.

The 6-foot-8 forward was the top prospect coming out of high school at this time last year and was by all accounts a top-three prospect for most of this past year. But some so-so play for the G League Ignite and a thumb injury that ended his season has Holland suddenly falling down draft boards.

For the Toronto Raptors, that could create an opportunity should the organization keep its top-six protected first-round pick this year. Normally players of Holland’s pedigree aren’t available in the middle of the lottery, but at No. 6, the former five-star prospect could be the steal of the draft.

“There’s no question he has the potential to end up being the best player in this class,” said Nicholas Crain of FanNation’s NBA Draft site. “If he has the pre-draft process that many believe he can, don’t be surprised to see Holland make a case to be selected first or second overall.”

Holland is exactly the type of defender Toronto so badly needs.

He’s 6-foot-8, 206 pounds with the kind of physical gifts to be a high-end wing stopper. He’s quick enough to stay in front of most guards and has the size to take on bigger assignments.

“There’s a case to be made that Holland is the best defender in this class, especially considering he has the tools to guard all five positions,” Crain added. “He also has an elite motor, is an unreal athlete and a highly productive rebounder.”

The Raptors used to be a team full of players like Holland. Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa, and Scottie Barnes all that have same sort of defensive versatility. But over the past year, Toronto has watched that list dwindle and is now in desperate need of another wing stopper to take the defensive burden off Barnes.

A Barnes and Holland duo would give the Raptors the type of defensive wings to contend with just about anyone in the league.

The issue, however, is Holland’s shooting.

He averaged 19.5 points on 45.5% shooting with a 23.7% three-point stroke and converted just 72.8% of his free-throws for the Ignite. Without significant development, it would be hard to build a functioning offense around Holland and Barnes if neither develops into an above-average shooter.

“He continued to struggle as a perimeter shooter and didn’t showcase much shiftiness or creativity in getting to the rim,” Crain said. “He’s still a straight-line driver who prefers to put his head down and power through defenses.”

A smaller role in the NBA should help Holland’s efficiency and reduce the turnover trouble he dealt with on a sub-par Ignite team, but his offense needs a lot of work if he’s going to become anything more than an offensive role player.

There’s certainly risk involved in drafting Holland for a Raptors team that already has floor-spacing constraints. Pairing a sub-part shooter with Barnes, Jakob Poeltl, and RJ Barrett, who has generally been inefficient as a shooter throughout his career, could create serious offensive problems.

But if Toronto thinks it can develop Holland into the prospect scouts thought he could be when he was atop draft rankings, the Raptors may sneak out of the draft with a true game-changing player.