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Pistons Youngster Puts Veteran Starter on Notice With Elite Summer League Play

The future looks bright in Detroit.
ByMichael Bohlin|
Nov 13, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Ron Holland II (00) during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
Nov 13, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Ron Holland II (00) during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

The Detroit Pistons stunned many basketball fans and pundits when they selected Ron Holland II with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.

There was never any doubt about Holland II's skill set; he was a five-star prospect and ranked by 247Sports as the No. 1 recruit in the class of 2023 for a reason. After electing to go pro rather than attend college, Holland II suffered a season-ending thumb injury during his lone season with the now-defunct G League Ignite team, which led to him dropping in several mock drafts.

In the end, Detroit saw enough in him to select Holland II in the top five, and the newly turned 20-year-old is set to step into a larger role as a second-year player. While it is just one summer league appearance, the forward looks ready for the challenge with the way he played on Friday night.

Holland II Puts Tobias Harris on Notice With Elite Summer League Play

The Pistons opened up play in the Las Vegas Summer League on Friday with a 104-85 victory over the New York Knicks and Holland II was, hands down, the best player on the floor as he finished the win with a game-high 28 points to go along with 11 rebounds, three steals, and two assists in just 28 minutes.

With Tobias Harris entering the final year of his contract, and unlikely to remain in Detroit beyond this season due to his age not fitting with the rest of the core's timeline, Holland could be in line to take on that job in the starting lineup sooner rather than later and he looked the part against the summer Knicks.

Having an in-house replacement for Harris, who is still on a rookie contract, would make life a heck of a lot easier on Trajan Langdon as he guides this franchise moving forward. Avoiding the need to spend big money on a veteran free agent, or lose other assets in a trade, to address the departure of Harris, whenever that happens, will be a big win for Detroit, and they are betting on Holland II to be that guy.

You never want to get too high or too low on a prospect based on their play during summer league. However, Holland II has shown glimpses of his potential before, and a continuation of that in this setting is exactly what is expected out of the forward during his stay in Vegas.

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