The Detroit Pistons are at the point where patience starts to cost real money in the standings, and Ron Holland II may be the player who forces that conversation.
Holland still has the kind of upside teams dream on when they draft a young wing: elite athleticism, defensive tools, and enough flashes on offense to keep the hope alive. But the Pistons are no longer in the business of waiting around forever. With Cade Cunningham driving a contention window that has moved faster than Holland’s development, Detroit needs contributors who can help right now.
That’s the heart of the problem. The Pistons can’t afford to treat this like a long rebuild anymore.
They were the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. They have the top-end talent.
What they need now is a supporting cast that can hold up in the postseason.
Holland was drafted with potential in mind, and there was a clear path to him eventually taking over at power forward. Tobias Harris had the starting job then, and in a perfect world, Holland might have grown into that role by the time Harris was gone.
Instead, Harris left in free agency this summer and signed with the San Antonio Spurs, but Detroit didn’t hand the spot to Holland. The Pistons brought in John Collins.
That move says plenty. Holland is not ready to step in as the starting power forward, and the numbers back that up.
He averaged 19.9 minutes in the regular season, then saw that drop all the way to 6.4 minutes per game in the postseason. JB Bickerstaff never got to the point where he could trust him in playoff minutes.
That’s the reality Holland is dealing with now. He’s still early in his career, but the Pistons are operating on a different clock. They need depth they can count on, and they need players who can help Cunningham push this team toward a deep playoff run.
If Holland makes a major leap next year, Detroit can keep this story moving. If he doesn’t, the front office may have to make a harder call and put him on the trade block in search of a win-now upgrade.
In Other News...
Pistons Still Face One Offseason Problem Cade Couldnt Fix
Cade Cunningham did his part this offseason, at least behind the scenes. According to ESPNs Vince Goodwill, the Pistons guard was involved in efforts to sell Detroit to Austin Reaves and to other marquee names like Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Kawhi Leonard, part of a broader push to raise the rosters ceiling and accelerate the franchises rise.
Instead, Detroit is back to handling the harder, less glamorous business that comes with building a contender from within. The focus has shifted to contract talks with restricted free agent Jalen Duren and an extension for Ausar Thompson, while the front office weighs how far it wants to go on Durens next deal after concerns about his playoff performance. The recruiting pitch may have been strong, but the biggest offseason decision still sits much closer to home. [Read more 🡒]
Pistons May Have Fixed A Big Problem Without Forcing The Future
Detroit has spent the offseason trying to patch holes without blowing up its long-term plan, and that approach has already shown up in a few key additions. John Collins gives the frontcourt a different look, while Isaiah Joe, Taurean Prince and Gary Harris arrived via trades to add shooting, size and veteran steadiness around the roster. It is the kind of businesslike summer that suggests the Pistons are trying to solve problems one by one rather than chase a dramatic overhaul.
The bigger question now sits in the middle of all that movement, where Jalen Durens future remains unresolved as he seeks a maximum deal. Trajan Langdon has been careful about asset management and has made it clear the organization is operating with caution in trades and roster decisions, which makes the Duren situation the next test of that restraint. For a team trying to improve without forcing the future, how it handles that contract will say plenty about just how patient this new version of Detroit really is. [Read more 🡒]
Pistons And Jalen Duren Are Headed For A Tense Contract Test
The Pistons are entering a familiar kind of offseason pressure point with Jalen Duren, one that has played out around the league before when a young player and his team have to decide whether patience or urgency wins out. The comparison that immediately comes to mind is the Bulls drawn-out situation with Josh Giddey last summer, when the lack of real leverage on the player side left both sides waiting for a deal to come together.
Restricted free agency tends to narrow the path for everybody involved, especially when cap space around the league is tight and the qualifying offer remains a real risk for the player. Giddey eventually landed on a four-year contract in September after holding out, and Duren could end up following a similar route if the Pistons and his camp cant bridge the gap quickly, turning what should be a straightforward retention into a tense test of timing and resolve. [Read more 🡒]