The Detroit Pistons have already put a clock on Ron Holland II, and it has less to do with raw talent than fit.
When the team gave Ausar Thompson a five-year extension, it also sharpened the questions around Holland’s place in the long term. Holland is heading into his third season, and the upside is still there.
The problem is that his offense hasn’t caught up yet, and right now most of his scoring still comes in transition. Last season, he piled up nearly half of his points on the fast break, which leaves Detroit waiting for more than just sprint-and-finish production.
The shot is the obvious place to start. Holland’s mechanics aren’t described as broken, and he’s hitting better than 80 percent of his free throws, which leaves room to believe the 3-point touch can come around.
But the Pistons won’t be judging him only by whether the jumper falls. They’ll be watching for something bigger: whether he can actually function alongside Thompson.
That pairing is the real issue. Thompson and Holland are similar types of players, and when Thompson signed, it was easy to imagine Holland becoming expendable. Detroit already has spacing concerns with the Thompson and Jalen Duren combination if Duren is eventually in Detroit, so adding another non-shooting wing into the mix only complicates things.
Still, the Pistons didn’t use a No. 5 pick to stash Holland on the bench. The hope is that, at some point, Thompson and Holland can share the floor.
Two big, defensive wings would give Detroit a nasty perimeter look. The catch is that one of them has to give the offense something, whether that’s shooting or scoring.
Thompson has reportedly been working on his on-ball creation and finishing in the paint, and that matters because it would keep defenders from simply sagging off him. Holland is less likely to make that kind of leap, but he can still help himself by taking advantage of the spacing created by the shooters around him off the bench.
His best chance to impact the game outside of transition is in the corner. If his corner 3-point numbers improve, then there’s at least a path for him and Thompson to coexist in short bursts. It doesn’t need to happen all at once, but the signs have to show up this season.
If they don’t, the Pistons may have some hard decisions to make before the trade deadline. Holland is one of their most intriguing young players, and his salary is large enough to matter in any trade package.
If Detroit decides to chase a star, he could quickly become one of the best chips they have. That could especially matter for a team like Dallas, which may be looking for young talent on Cooper Flagg's timeline.
Holland can make the choice tougher by showing he belongs next to another defensive wing and that he can grow into the kind of role his draft status promised.
In Other News...
Ausar Thompson Now Faces A Pistons Question Fans Can't Ignore
Ausar Thompson is suddenly carrying a price tag that invites immediate comparison with some of the leagues more established wings. Detroit locked him in for the long term, and the size of the commitment says plenty about how the Pistons view his upside, his fit and the role they expect him to grow into as the roster keeps taking shape around him.
The problem, at least for anyone looking at the deal through a hard-nosed basketball lens, is that Thompson is being paid like a proven difference-maker before he has fully shown he can be one. The contract lands in the neighborhood of what Mikal Bridges is making with the Knicks, which is exactly the kind of comparison that puts Thompsons current offensive output and lack of playoff rsum under a brighter light as Detroit waits to see whether the ceiling eventually matches the investment. [Read more 🡒]
Pistons Still Have A Jalen Duren Problem As Camp Nears
As media day approaches, Jalen Durens contract situation is still hanging over the Pistons, turning what should be a straightforward preseason storyline into one of the teams more delicate business issues. The restricted free agent and Detroit remain in negotiations, but there is still no agreement in place, and the longer it drags on, the more it shapes the backdrop for camp.
Detroit has tried to close the gap, and the talks have also been colored by comparisons to deals other players have landed around the league. Even so, Durens side has not been ready to move, leaving the Pistons with a problem that has no easy outside solution and a stalemate that could linger right up until the team has to get back to basketball. [Read more 🡒]
Jalen Duren Standoff Just Became A Serious Pistons Problem
With training camp approaching, the Pistons have tried to get ahead of the Jalen Duren conversation by raising their contract offer to five years and $200 million. It is a clear show of commitment to one of the teams young frontcourt pieces, and it signals how determined Detroit is to keep building around talent it believes can be part of the long-term core.
Still, Duren has not signed, and the lack of resolution is starting to hang over the situation in a bigger way. For a team trying to stabilize its roster and establish continuity, the possibility that Duren may want a different arrangement, or even a path out of Detroit, makes this more than a routine negotiation. [Read more 🡒]