Ron Holland had his ups and downs for the Pistons this season, but it's clear that he has upside, so the Pistons must remain patient with him.
Ron Holland's ability to get to the rim and draw fouls in his rookie year was very impressive. Holland attempted 44% of his shots at the rim this season, converting on 65% of those looks. That 44% rim rate places him at the 85th percentile in rim rate amongst forwards according to Cleaning the Glass. He also demonstrated a unique ability to draw fouls as he drew fouls on 14.6% of his shot attempts (89th percentile). Holland had a high "And-1" rate, converting on 24.2% of his shooting fouls.
This ability to consistently get to the rim and draw fouls at such a young age is a great sign for his future. It demonstrates that Holland has some self-creation ability, but it is also a great sign for his overall offensive potential that he is drawing fouls at such a high rate.
All the best scorers in the NBA have a unique ability to draw fouls and put pressure on the opposing defense. This skill even translated to the playoffs in a physical series where there weren't many fouls called, as Holland attempted ten free throws in just 22 minutes of playing time.
One final good before we tidbit this piece with the bad: Holland's defensive hands. Holland finished the season with a steal rate of 1.7% (70th percentile). He also had decent rebounding numbers with a defensive rebound rate of 13.0% (66th percentile). Rookie defenders, especially young ones like Holland, are typically awful on defense in their first year, so to see Holland rank above the median in a few key stats already is a great sign.
The bad with Holland was with his decision-making and his 3PT shooting. Holland had a poor assist % of 9.1% in tandem with a very bad TO% of 14.5. Holland will need to improve here if he wants to take on more ball-handling responsibilities.
The most obvious stat that will stick out to most fans of the modern NBA is his 24% shooting from three. The three-ball has never been more important, and given Holland's size, he will need to figure out how to get that number up into the low to mid-30s if he wants to ever be a starter in this league. The fact that he shot 75% from the FT line and 50% on mid-range shots is a good sign that his jumper isn't fundamentally broken.
Holland was above average for his position from every location on the field except the three-ball. He flashed an ability to get to the rim consistently, draw fouls, and defend at a reasonable level. At the age of 19, Pistons fans should be optimistic about the future prospects of their No. 5 pick.