Pistons land Ron Holland with No. 5 pick in 2024 NBA Draft

There was no chaos. The Detroit Pistons have been a regular topic of NBA Draft discussion for the past few years, maneuvering every way they can to leave the annual event with multiple lottery selections. It has been a whirlwind of confusion to keep track of at times.

He was under former general manager Troy Weaver. Now under new president of basketball operations Trojan Langdon, the Pistons got straight to the point.

Detroit selected G League Ignite’s Ron Holland with the No. 5 pick in Wednesday night’s 2024 NBA draft. According to league sources, the team had talks with the Memphis Grizzlies, who were ranked No. 9, about moving back up, but nothing meaningful was offered to Detroit.

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“I didn’t expect to go to Detroit,” said Holland, who said he had a workout scheduled with Detroit earlier in the process but that didn’t happen and also expected to go from fourth to 13th. “It was a big surprise for me. Now that it’s complete, I’m excited and ready to get to work.”

Let’s start with the bright spots: The 6-foot-7 Holland, who is just 18, is a freak athlete. He was the Ignite’s best player last season, averaging 19.5 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. He is a great cutter and can get to the rim with line-drive and dribble-drive attacks. In this class, he may have the best motor on both ends of the floor, with positional versatility from defensive end to boot. If you’re a fan of what Ossair Thompson has to offer, Holland has some of those qualities – even some of the less desirable ones.

Now onto the bad: Like Thompson, Holland’s shot still has a long way to go. He shot less than 30 percent on all jump shots in the G League and was not a good free-throw shooter. He was not an efficient scorer with the Ignite, but part of that was due to the poor roster and his team not having much structure last season. Additionally, Holland needs to significantly improve his decision-making in the half court. He also committed 11 more turnovers than assists this season.

Langdon said in his introductory press conference last week that Detroit is still very interested in developing its youth, so it’s no surprise he and his staff chose to go for a high-upside swing at Holland. Decided, which is arguably one of the best possibilities Ignite has created.

It was a bit of a mystery in the draft as to which way Langdon would go, since this is his first time running his own show. However, if you look at the New Orleans Pelicans, where Langdon was general manager before coming to the Motor City, it was clear he had a type. Trey Murphy III (2021), Herbert Jones (2021) and Dyson Daniels (2022) are all versatile, with 6-7 wingspans and wingspans of 6-10 or more. Holland fits that archetype with a 6-10 wingspan.

Drafting Holland furthered the narrative that Detroit had great confidence in newly acquired assistant coach Fred Vinson, who is considered one of the better shooting coaches in the NBA. He has been credited with helping transform below-average 3-point shooters like Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Herb Jones, and Najee Marshall into legitimately good ones from 3.

“He has one of the best picks in the draft,” Langdon said. “We hired Fred Vinson to take opportunities like this. If his shot hits, he will become a real player.”

Langdon said last week that he plans to go after shooting this offseason, and with the drafting of Holland, it’s clear the Pistons will do so via trade or free agency. He preferred to use the draft to take big swings. Detroit is still in need of high-end talent, and anyone you talk to will suggest Holland has the most talent in this class. However, the upside doesn’t always translate into stardom.

Langdon and the Pistons are confident in their ability to create an environment that fosters internal growth. This is what the most stable, non-major-market organizations have.

The real work starts now in Detroit.

(Photo of Adam Silver and Ron Holland: Sarah Stier/Getty Images)