The Pistons didn’t spend the fifth pick in the 2024 draft on Ron Holland II just to hope for “good enough.” Like any team taking a player that high, Detroit wanted a future star.
But the truth is simpler - and maybe more useful. Holland can still change this team even if he never becomes the headline act.
That’s the real thread running through his first two seasons. The upside is there, and the Pistons have enough to be encouraged by what they’ve seen.
Still, the bigger question isn’t whether Holland becomes a star. It’s whether he becomes the kind of player who makes everything around Cade Cunningham work better.
Right now, the defensive end is where Holland already helps. He’s a good, aggressive defender, the kind who plays like every possession is his last one on the floor.
But that edge has come with too many fouls, and Detroit needs him to clean that up. He averaged nearly the same number of fouls per game as Ausar Thompson last season, even though he played far fewer less.
The tools are there for him to defend hard without living on the edge every trip.
Offensively, though, Holland has a lot of boxes left to check. The biggest issue isn’t just the 3-point shot, though that’s part of it.
He also has to make quicker decisions when the ball comes to him. At times last season, he held it too long, either staring at open 3s or trying to force his way through traffic.
If the shot is there, he needs to take it. If not, move it.
If he’s going to attack, he has to do it decisively.
Transition is another area where Holland can be more valuable. Nearly half of his points last season came in fast break situations, which says plenty about both his strengths and the state of his half-court offense.
He’s a fierce open-court finisher, the kind of athlete who wants to dunk on anybody in his path and isn’t bothered by contact. But too often, that same aggression blinds him to the simple play.
With more shooters around him next season, he needs to kick the ball out more often instead of trying to barrel through everyone.
There’s also a missing piece that should fit his athletic profile better than it has so far: cutting. Holland hasn’t done nearly enough of it, even though it’s an obvious way for him to get easier looks at the rim.
That should matter even more with a better passing center coming off the bench alongside him. More shooting should open more space, and Holland needs to take advantage of that movement.
And then there’s the shot itself, the part everybody is watching. Holland can’t stay at 25 percent from long range and expect to hold down a playoff rotation spot.
The corner 3 is especially important, because teams are continuing to leave it there for him. He doesn’t have to become a pure scorer to matter, but he does have to make defenses pay when they ignore him.
The Pistons would love for Holland to turn into a two-way star. If he gets there, great. If he doesn’t, Detroit can still get exactly what it needs from him: a sharp, reliable role player who does the little things, fits next to Cunningham, and ends up being the kind of X-factor that can transform the team.
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